Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable. The living have long spied the dead—and sought new explanations for doing so. In the 15th century people thought they were the souls of those suffering in purgatory, appearing to ask for intercession and a quick passage to heaven. When the English Reformation did away with purgatory, ghosts were still spotted, “apparently unaware that they had been declared doctrinal impossibilities”. So these visions became, instead, the work of Satan: “diabolical illusions” designed to deceive those with melancholy dispositions. Works like “Hamlet” were careful to incorporate both interpretations.
The ghost remained in rude health through the Enlightenment. In the spirit of the Royal Society’s motto, Nullius in verba—take nobody’s word for it—men such as John Aubrey travelled around Britain compiling and classifying accounts of supernatural phenomena under the discipline of “Hermetick Philosophy”. Materialist thinkers like Hobbes—who argued that ghosts “are in no place; that is to say, that are no where; that is to say, that seeming to be somewhat, are nothing”—were met with fierce opposition. Joseph Glanvill, author of a hugely popular volume of ghost stories, deployed the terminology of Francis Bacon to argue that ghosts can be observed and perceived, thus must be real.
Full Article: https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21730620-people-have-been-spotting-them-centuries-despite-growing-evidence-contrary
Image Source: https://chryssalis.deviantart.com/art/GHOSTS-OF-DAYS-GONE-BY-382136292
Full Article: https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21730620-people-have-been-spotting-them-centuries-despite-growing-evidence-contrary
Image Source: https://chryssalis.deviantart.com/art/GHOSTS-OF-DAYS-GONE-BY-382136292
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