When Science Fiction Gives Way to Science Nonfiction

Modern science and technology has allowed humankind to answer many of the questions that humans have been asking for years. While we now have a more thorough understanding of puzzling conundrums such as gravity and motion, for instance, there are certain questions that our scientific and technological prowess has not yet allowed us to answer. First and foremost, there are things that fall into the realm of supernatural and paranormal that have not yet been fully explained or answered by scientific study or academia. Since modern science is always in flux and changing, it is possible that new explanations may arise to support the existence of these supernatural or paranormal phenomena. For now, however, it is possible that certain phenomena may exist in our world or universe, even if we cannot yet see or explain them scientifically. Paranormal phenomena that science cannot yet give explanation to may be present in our world today.

Since my first foray into science-fiction pop culture, beginning with Star Wars and Ghostbusters, I’ve agonized over whether or not ghosts, witches, telepathy, aliens, and other supernatural and paranormal phenomena exist. After a long time fathoming over it, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a high likelihood that these things do exist in our universe in some form or another. Believing in paranormal activity is not always easy since we humans want to put stock in tangible things that we can see, taste, touch, or give explanation to with science. However, just because our naked eyes may have never beheld something, does that mean that it absolutely doesn’t exist?

Don’t faith and religion contain a number of “supernatural” figures and scenarios that cannot be easily explained through science or rational thought? No one alive today has ever seen a physical incarnation of Jesus, yet millions of Christians embrace his symbolism every day. Belief in the paranormal functions in such a way as religious faith, at least until we possess the full scientific knowledge to prove their physical existence.

Consider some of these paranormal phenomena for a moment. Telepathy, for instance, seems like a paranormal phenomenon that can be debunked through current scientific study. In many cases of study regarding telepathy, the act of mind-reading has appeared to be fraud as a result of thorough experimentation. It may be possible, however, that telepathy may be a brain function that could potentially exist but not all of us have access to yet. Some recent theories have arisen that state that some people with autism may have more evolved brain functions and that they can utilize their brain in ways that most of us cannot. Since ESP or telepathy would likely function through transmission of wavelengths from one brain to another, it is a possibility that some people with autism may have access to a part of their brain functions that the vast majority of us have not yet attained.   

In another instance, ghosts seem like a paranormal phenomenon that modern scientists can easily disprove. However, many of these “ghost critics” may not have taken into consideration that these apparitions may just exist on another plane or dimension that we simply do not have access to with our current technology or scientific understanding yet. Furthermore, just because ghosts may not be visible within our spectrum or appear in the corporeal world around us does not mean that they may not actually exist. Take an atom, for instance; although we can’t see the atom with our naked eye, we do know that they do exist in our world as the basic unit of matter. Ghosts may exist in our universe in a similar manner although we have not yet ascertained the means to view them in a physical, corporeal form.

Aliens, like ghosts, may also seem like a form of paranormal activity that is far-fetched and not believable since humankind doesn’t appear to have been directly contacted by an alien species as yet. Moreover, many people would probably look at the scores of UFO enthusiasts who have claimed to have been abducted by green Martians and scoff at them. I agree with these people to a certain degree; until I myself see Area 51 and the famed Flying Saucer with my own eyes, I too will remain skeptical of the conventional idea of aliens. However, flying saucers and little green Martians aside, I do believe that alien life exists in our universe. This is because our entire universe is so expansive and endless that it doesn’t seem possible that we humans (and the various animal species comprising our planet) are the only forms of life amid all these billions of stars and planets. Moreover, the possibility that circumstance has led Earth to be the only planet in the universe with sentient life is borderline impossible even by scientific standards given the fact that the universe covers an infinite amount of space and contains billions of planets where sentient alien life may reside.  

 While it may seem as if current evidence to support the existence of paranormal activity is pure speculation, we must be willing to take a certain leap of faith regarding these phenomena. My view is that many of these things do exist in our universe to some degree or another, even if we cannot see or explain much of these phenomena yet. Though modern science and rational though have given us the means to answer many of life’s most confounding questions, they have not yet provided answers to much of the paranormal and supernatural. As of now, we can do little more than to guess, hope, and continue to ask questions regarding these things. Hopefully, the truth will either reveal itself to us or we will uncover the truth for ourselves as our understanding of the universe continues to expand and evolve in the coming years.