Thread: Shared Dreaming Debate

Gills covers it nicely.
I don't think I have time to jump into this 12 page debate completely, so I'll just explain my views. (But then again, I have a tendency to get sucked into things)

I don't believe shared dreaming is real, and I don't think that Dreamviews presents sufficient evidence to lead me to believe that it is real. Therefore I continue to believe that it is not real.

You may ask: Why do you choose to "Believe that it is NOT real", rather than simply "Not believe that it IS real". (Subtle differences here).

When I say that I don't believe that it IS real, I am basically saying: "I have not seen convincing evidence of its existence, but it seems possible, and I will not discount the possibility of it actually being real". For example. I don't believe that there is life on mars. I don't think that the new rover is going to find anything, but I don't discount that it actually could, and I wouldn't be surprised if it DID.

When I say that I do believe that it is NOT real, I am basically saying: "I have not seen convincing evidence of its existence, and it seems impossible, so I discount the possibility of it actually being real." This is my stand on Dream Sharing. When I think about how it would work, I cannot find an explanation that is within the realm of science. And I've not noticed many things that can circumvent the laws of physics.

So, that being said... if Dream Sharing was proven to be true, I would be BLOWN AWAY. Totally surprised that it was actually true, because all of my logic and research had suggested otherwise.

EDIT:
Why is "No, it's impossible" italicized in the poll? There appears to be some sort of emphasis that is used when saying those words. A kind of emphasis that does not exist with the other choices. Such a subtle thing to notice, lol. But it can't just be for the hell of it... Is this based upon your idealistic depiction of someone who does not believe in shared dreaming? That they are more emphasized than the other folks? Lol.

Originally Posted by DreiHundert

Gills covers it nicely.
I don't think I have time to jump into this 12 page debate completely, so I'll just explain my views. (But then again, I have a tendency to get sucked into things)

I don't believe shared dreaming is real, and I don't think that Dreamviews presents sufficient evidence to lead me to believe that it is real. Therefore I continue to believe that it is not real.

You may ask: Why do you choose to "Believe that it is NOT real", rather than simply "Not believe that it IS real". (Subtle differences here).

When I say that I don't believe that it IS real, I am basically saying: "I have not seen convincing evidence of its existence, but it seems possible, and I will not discount the possibility of it actually being real". For example. I don't believe that there is life on mars. I don't think that the new rover is going to find anything, but I don't discount that it actually could, and I wouldn't be surprised if it DID.

When I say that I do believe that it is NOT real, I am basically saying: "I have not seen convincing evidence of its existence, and it seems impossible, so I discount the possibility of it actually being real." This is my stand on Dream Sharing. When I think about how it would work, I cannot find an explanation that is within the realm of science. And I've not noticed many things that can circumvent the laws of physics.

So, that being said... if Dream Sharing was proven to be true, I would be BLOWN AWAY. Totally surprised that it was actually true, because all of my logic and research had suggested otherwise.

EDIT:
Why is "No, it's impossible" italicized in the poll? Lol. I can only imagine the emphasis that OP was imagining when he decided to emphasize that answer lololol

This is more of a personal question, would you not find that having this philosophy stops you from truly experiencing life?
You are limiting your experiences, you should focus on using things in life if they work and note how they work. What if in a hypotetical situation you happened to have a shared dream but dismissed because of your beliefs instead of profiting and learning how to develop the skill.
What if people didn't know how dreams worked or if they really existed. Would you believe that they are not real because no one could explain them or would you rather leave that oportunity open so you could gain from them if they ever happened to you.

Originally Posted by dutchraptor

This is more of a personal question, would you not find that having this philosophy stops you from truly experiencing life?
You are limiting your experiences, you should focus on using things in life if they work and note how they work. What if in a hypotetical situation you happened to have a shared dream but dismissed because of your beliefs instead of profiting and learning how to develop the skill.
What if people didn't know how dreams worked or if they really existed. Would you believe that they are not real because no one could explain them or would you rather leave that oportunity open so you could gain from them if they ever happened to you.

In your hypothetical examples, I would have different facts and therefore form different opinions. But I would use the same logic to arrive at those opinions.
For instance. If I experienced Shared Dreaming, (By experienced I mean, know for a fact I had the same dream as someone else and not just had a hunch), then I would believe in them. But I have not, so I do not, and the hypothetical you presented does not change that fact.

If people didn't know how dreams worked or if they even existed, and I had never had a dream, then I would indeed believe they are not real because the majority of the population accepts the fact that dreaming is not real.

IN the current, non-hypothetical world, most people are aware that it is possible to have dreams, and there are many reports of dream experiences. Shared Dreaming, however, is only believed in by a small number of people. Most people do not believe in shared dreaming, and by using logic to hypothesize about its existence, considering all that I know about science... I have determined that it is more likely to be impossible than it is to be possible. So personally, I believe that it's not possible.

In the real, non-hypothetical world, I do not believe in shared dreaming. What I would believe in a hypothetical scenario is trivial information, because it is all hypothetical.

I also notice that you are under the impression that I have "Closed the window of opportunity" by believing that it is not true. As a matter of fact, I haven't closed the window of opportunity, I have just chosen not to go through it. If new evidence arises that makes me reconsider my beliefs, I will still have the ability to pursue dream sharing if I wished to. Therefore, the window of opportunity is not closed.

Originally Posted by DreiHundert

When I say that I do believe that it is NOT real, I am basically saying: "I have not seen convincing evidence of its existence, and it seems impossible, so I discount the possibility of it actually being real." This is my stand on Dream Sharing. When I think about how it would work, I cannot find an explanation that is within the realm of science. And I've not noticed many things that can circumvent the laws of physics.

So, that being said... if Dream Sharing was proven to be true, I would be BLOWN AWAY.

It was in significant part the laws of physics (as then understood) that prevented Galileo's contemporaries from believing that the earth revolves around the sun rather than vice-verse.

It's always better to judge the phenomenon on its own grounds first rather than to judge it relative to established scientific or philosophical principles. Science is perpetually incomplete and needs revision in light of new discoveries, but the fact of the matter is just the fact of the matter no matter what scientists think.