u/Amethyst-Flare

This is a question that has been on my mind for many years now as a casual enjoyer of the Ghoul Boys and someone who has seen other ghost shows come and go. Is the practice of "ghost hunting" (traveling to a purportedly haunted location to use mediums or tools to supposedly communicate with the deceased) an ethical practice?

I think there's an argument to be made that scientific investigation of this sort of thing can be a good thing to do, but ghost shows - including the Ghost Files - are not scientifically rigorous. The tools they use have not been established to the function they are put towards, they don't properly form and test hypotheses, they aren't doing proper controls, and they certainly aren't publishing papers. Ghost Files is a (quite enjoyable) show for entertainment purposes, not a true investigation. When you film it and put it out for public consumption as an entertainment product, is that unethical?

Though I'm coming at this profession as a non-believer, I was a believer previously, and I think there's an argument to be made for why it might be unethical even if you don't think ghosts are real. Let me break down some thoughts depending on the nature of ghosts:

1. If ghosts are the spiritual/psychical remains of humans that are still capable of thought, perception, and intelligent communication (as Ryan on the show treats them), then they should be treated like real people. Generally speaking, it's not unethical to interview people for the sake of entertainment, though there may be some questions about informed consent. If these ghosts are also suffering, however, as is the case in a lot of folklore, then we run into another issue which will echo down through these scenarios, which is that we're commercializing suffering. Wouldn't the morally correct thing to do be to help them "move on?"
2. If ghosts exist but are merely the fragmentary echoes of human presence, lacking in the sapience or sentience of the first category, then some of the active concerns go away, but I think it runs into a similar issue regarding if you think ghosts and psychical phenomena aren't real, which I might term as the "True Crime Problem" - these investigations often, but not exclusively, take place in locations of great human tragedy. The lives and suffering of these people, some of whom may have living family in some cases, are being put on display for entertainment purposes. Sometimes, they will be crassly mocked or otherwise treated in a manner that even I, a non-believer, find a touch disrespectful. This isn't the case for every hunt, but still.

I will say that I appreciate that Ryan at least seems like he's honest. I don't get the impression that his producers are secretly amping things up the way I notice others have. Actually, I wish they'd go a little further with stuff like maybe inviting on home inspectors to look at these places and maybe produce some concrete information (shout out to Jenny Nicholson viewers.)

What are your thoughts on the question of ghost hunting ethics? (Please note if you're a believer or a skeptic in your reply, because I'm really curious to know what people who actually believe in ghosts think about it.)