Author Topic: Supernatural  (Read 1675 times)

Leebot

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« on: November 05, 2005, 09:05:08 am »
This came to mind from the wording used in the "God" thread. People were throwing around the term "supernatural," but I wonder if any has a good idea of what it really means. So, this is a short-answer poll here.

How would you define "supernatural"? No using a dictionary, go by what your own mind tells you. I'll give my answer later so I don't influence the results too much.

CyberSarkany

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« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2005, 09:46:05 am »
Supernatural is for me something or someone what/who is beyond "most" humans comprehension.

Lord J Esq

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« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2005, 09:51:44 am »
Supernatural to me is that which is beyond the natural. Therefore it is that which is not quantifiable, or otherwise beyond physical description; and, as such, I consider it a gibberish word whose only value is artistic.

Mystik3eb

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« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2005, 01:21:13 pm »
I would consider supernatural mostly a term that ties along with things yet undiscovered by humans, consisting of anything, not just some 'spiritual realm' or 'magical science' or something like that. I'm pretty certain that's not it's dictionary definition, but that's how I see it.

Dragoness

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« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2005, 07:01:03 pm »
Supernatural for me is...

When someone does something that beyond normal humans ways. o.o

At least I think. >_>

BlueThunder

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« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2005, 08:21:46 pm »
I agree.

Burning Zeppelin

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« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2005, 10:50:01 pm »
My definition is like others. Which can not be explained by the current nature of human intelligence, or that that has not been sensed in any way (smell, touch etc.)
But just because my Firefox has a dictionary.com inbuilt into the search toolbar, ill give you its definition anywho.
Quote from: Teh Dictionary
su·per·nat·u·ral   Audio pronunciation of "supernatural" ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (spr-nchr-l)
adj.

   1. Of or relating to existence outside the natural world.
   2. Attributed to a power that seems to violate or go beyond natural forces.
   3. Of or relating to a deity.
   4. Of or relating to the immediate exercise of divine power; miraculous.
   5. Of or relating to the miraculous.


n.

    That which is supernatural.

Mystik3eb

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« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2005, 11:26:37 pm »
Quote from: Burning Zeppelin
My definition is like others. Which can not be explained by the current nature of human intelligence, or that that has not been sensed in any way (smell, touch etc.)
But just because my Firefox has a dictionary.com inbuilt into the search toolbar, ill give you its definition anywho.
Quote from: Teh Dictionary
su·per·nat·u·ral   Audio pronunciation of "supernatural" ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (spr-nchr-l)
adj.

   1. Of or relating to existence outside the natural world.
   2. Attributed to a power that seems to violate or go beyond natural forces.
   3. Of or relating to a deity.
   4. Of or relating to the immediate exercise of divine power; miraculous.
   5. Of or relating to the miraculous.


n.

    That which is supernatural.


...you just ruined the purpose of this thread.

Quote from: Leebot
How would you define "supernatural"? No using a dictionary, go by what your own mind tells you. I'll give my answer later so I don't influence the results too much.

Burning Zeppelin

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« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2005, 11:56:46 pm »
Um, yeah, I know. I just put it in as well as my own definition to show what the people at dictionary companies thought it was. My answer wasnt based off the definition, and if people base their answers off it, they are too stupid to be here.

Dyne

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« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2005, 12:01:53 pm »
Um, supernatural being something unexplainable in human comprehension...

But in my case, I believe that things will all be explained in the future... if we live that long.

Exodus

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« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2005, 06:18:58 pm »
A term coined by Avon to sell their skin cream products.

Leebot

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« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2005, 06:47:03 pm »
Alright, here I go. I'll be supplying two definitions here.

First, how the general public seems to interpret the word "supernatural":

1. Unexplained occurences.
2. Occurences that could be attributable to some non-scientific explanation (ie. religion, or even a new realm of pseudoscience created just for this purpose).

Now, how I would define the word, strictly breaking it down:

The "super" prefix implies these are events that either do not obey natural laws, or do not exist in nature. If we go by the former interpretation we have to define what natural laws are. Basically, it means that from a scientific interpretation, everything must obey some set of rules when boiled down far enough (including a god, ghosts, psychics, whatever). If we go with this, then something cannot exist which doesn't follow these rules, so the supernatural again doesn't actually exist. The term can be valid only in referring to pure fiction. As for claims of "supernatural" events, these must either be fictitious, mistaken, or better categorized as "unexplained."

The point of this subject is that society seems to be using terms such as "supernatural" and "UFO" as if they aren't, in fact, fictitious or unexplained, but a specific category of event on their own. For instance, when I mentioned UFOs, did you immediately think of alien spaceships, or unidentified flying objects? If you don't know what a flying object is, it must be a UFO, which is assumed to be an alien spaceship--at least until a government cover-up calls it a weather balloon or swamp gas.

So, why the hell is this stuff so common in our society? Why can't we accept not having an explanation, instead of "explaining" something as supernatural?

Radical_Dreamer

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« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2005, 07:19:27 pm »
Quote from: Leebot
So, why the hell is this stuff so common in our society? Why can't we accept not having an explanation, instead of "explaining" something as supernatural?


Science is the result of not being able to accept not having an explanation. It's longer and harder than saying "Oh, it was a ghost space ship sent by God", but I think it's a good impulse on the whole.

Luminaire85

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« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2005, 09:34:38 pm »
Here's one idea: the development of science has left the idea of an unexplainable phenomenon as unsatisfactory.

Prior to the Renaissance, calling things supernatural was much more pervasive. For example, in those days there was no biology to explain how or why people got sick; instead such events were caused by "magic". But in the last 500 years science has provided reasonably simple explanations for much of what used to be labeled as magic. In terms of the given example we would be talking about the Germ Theory among other things. This has developed to the extent that general opinion is that science can explain everything, and that "beyond human understanding" is a copout.

On the other hand, there does seem to be a reaction to this "science-explains-all" mentality. The primary example of this is Intelligent Design, a movement which is growing in influence despite the fact that it is not science.

Does this make sense? I hope so.

Burning Zeppelin

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« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2005, 02:34:27 am »
Intelligent Design is basically creationism, with aliens and flying spaghetti monsters.

Plus, before the Renaissance cultures did have things called medicines, just not all western cultures (though the Greeks were superb in the field)