MY POINT OF VIEW
THAT FIVE OR TEN PERCENT . . .
I was watching a television talk program the other night with several guests and the subject they were discussing was the paranormal, i.e. ghosts, haunted houses, etc.  Some made an argument for how these things are true and really exist in our world and there were a couple of skeptics disputing the claims of the professed believers.  Typical fare for today's talk shows, but there was one remark from one of the "believers" that really stuck out.  That was the claim that while science may be able to explain most things without resorting to the supernatural; there is still that 5 to 10 percent that can not be explained or accounted for.  They seem to imply that since science can at the present time only explain 90 percent of the natural universe in a rational manner, then that other 10 percent can only be explained by resorting to the supernatural.  I say bunk.  Just because there is not a logical explanation for something or some occurance at the surface; it does not prove that the only answer lies within some mysterious realm.

There is a method of explaining events known as Occam's Razor; named for William of Occam, which says basically ; when looking for an explanation to some unknown phenomenon, go with the simplest and most basic explanation.  The odds are very good that that will be the correct answer.

There is also another good method that is occasionally used from time to time to help solve certain enigmas and problems that are encountered in our daily lives.  This is known as the scientific method and it has been very useful over the years and we owe a great deal to the men and women who employed this method that we might not only have a better understanding of the universe around us, but that we might benefit in a practical manner as well.  Five major components make up the scientific method:
       1.  Make observations and develop a question.  The question should deal with
            what you want to know or learn about.
       2.  Make a hypothesis.  This is an educated guess about what might happen.
       3.  Next comes the method or steps of a very detailed experiment.
       4.  The results come next. These are the facts that are collected from the experiment.
       5.  Finally, the conclusion, in which an explanation is put forth to state why
            the experiment turned out the way it did. Do the results of the experiment support
            the original hypothesis?
This method is so very important in answering questions dealing with the mysterious or paranormal. Can these claims be duplicated under these scientific conditions; if not, then we must be left to conclude that certain claims are only hoaxes, misunderstood phenomena or merely other natural occurrences.

Just because we don't currently have an answer to some unknown types of phenomena or other mysteries doesn't mean that there is something "really strange going on here" and since science can not offer an alternative solution, then  the supernatural one is the one that is correct.  That is not sound judgment and certainly, it is not good science.  We don't yet have the cures to several diseases that plague mankind, but that doesn't mean that some day science won't come up with the answers to these riddles.  Given enough time and research I would be willing to bet that the 5 or 10 percent referred to could be whittled down considerably.  And maybe no one can explain everything. Some things in nature just seem to defy any kind of explanation; like the eternal beauty of a Raquel Welch or why the Red Sox can't win the world series since they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees over 80 years ago.  Still, you can't go off and attribute the reasons to supernatural happenings or anyone's particular belief system; and I must say that I think the reason some believe in things like ghosts and so forth is essentially that. They choose to believe and no amount of reason or proof will ever totally sway them from their belief.

In conclusion, don't accept anything as being real in any circumstance without first checking out the facts and offering realistic conclusions before resorting to supernatural explanations.  And still, even if there are no logical, conclusive answers it doesn't mean that the truth lies in the alternative.  We just need more information.
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