Natural Vs. Supernatural

[Yasa]

Hi all, I am new to the forum. I am sitting here, as usual, philosophizing "things". I am looking for some input as to what really separates the "natural" from the "supernatural". I guess it all comes down to definitions. However, the question of why those definitions are true is still difficult to deal with. I hope you understand what I am getting at--how is it that certain phenomenon and laws, etc. are "natural" and other such things/ideas, produced from our thoughts, are not "natural". I guess this topic also incorporates the question of why things are the way they are.

Undoubtedly, this topic has been covered in numerous threads, however, being a noob, I wanted to post fresh and get straight up input in a place i know where to look.

Thanks.

[Rave7pt0]

I don't think there is a distinction actually, 'supernatural' is just things we don't understand (yet).

[ghost_stalker]

Supernatural are phenomenon that are naturally created, but are elusive in thier nature, such as to be hidden from classical means of detection.

[Technosoul]

The difference clearly is the "super" tag on in front of natural. In the word superman it means that a man can have super powers that none of the other men have. Needless to say Superman is fictional.

But once someone was stuck under a car and another man, in an act of urgent panic, lifted the car off the man, something he would not normally be able to do. So the news might report that he had temporary supernatural powers (due to a rush of some sort happening in his body). Rare but true examples of such happenigs can happen. Although perhaps they should be called supernormal and not supernatural. As in the word "paranormal". As we do not use a word such as paranatural. (para-natural).

A paranormal event might be anything outside of the norm of things, a oddity or a "novelty". A extra reality experience would seem as real as a normal experience when it is happening but it would be "outside the norm" and perhaps also fictional or illusionary.

Supernatural is also a word used by religions to explain their concept about a God or a person who has special gifts they believe comes form God. One can debate all day if such is faith in fiction or faith in unseen facts. No one ever really wins such a debate.

Angels, aliens, ghosts, and all those otherly dimensional manifestations of the mind are also classified as supernatural, and such things cannot be seen in nature or the natural dimensions that we currently are limited to dwell in.

Sometimes they are called "Un-natural" instead of Super-natural. But still para-normal which has little to do with natural events or personifications.

Supernatural often depicts something with supernatural powers. "Powers" seems to go hand and hand with anything "super". Being more powerful then what nature would normally allow would be the keynote point of seperation between those two words, I would speculate.

People often sell lots of books that claim to offer you a way to open up and to use your "powers" within - super powers of course.

Example: Kripalu: Kripalu: Dancing with the Bear - Recovering the Art of Dream Healing

The imagination if used realistically can become a super power which can be employed to manifest many advantages for us in our life we would otherwise not have enjoyed. If you believe in magic.

But the question is:

Is our imagination a natural source or some sort of fantasy that has no place in reality?

How is that for starters?

[Nono]

Quote by: Yasa Hi all, I am new to the forum.

Hi, Y. Whereabouts you live?

Quote by: ghost Supernatural are phenomenon that are naturally created...

Sounds a trifle contradictory.

I think it's a matter of being scientifically verifiable, in other words able to be measured by human senses or by technological devices created by humans (using those senses).

That is, if I can accurately predict the winning lottery numbers for the next year, you wouldn't even know where to begin trying to figure out how I did it. That'd be supernatural.

[Yasa]

Quote by: Technosoul But the question is: Is our imagination a natural source or some sort of fantasy that has no place in reality? How is that for starters?

Good. Interesting thoughts.

Quote by: Nono Hi, Y. Whereabouts you live? I think it's a matter of being scientifically verifiable, in other words able to be measured by human senses or by technological devices created by humans (using those senses).

Alberta, Canada :)

I guess that idea also dabbles into the metaphysical.

[Jack]

Whenever I use the word "supernatural", I mean those proposed concepts beyond the natural order of things, outside natural laws. Something that defies physics, for example, would in my book be supernatural. A virgin birth, assumption into the sky, rising from the dead after 3 days, walking on water...all supernatural. Some things are simply highly unlikely (Big Foot), others are supernatural (most gods).

[shunyadragon]

Quote by: Isherwood Whenever I use the word "supernatural", I mean those proposed concepts beyond the natural order of things, outside natural laws. Something that defies physics, for example, would in my book be supernatural. A virgin birth, assumption into the sky, rising from the dead after 3 days, walking on water...all supernatural. Some things are simply highly unlikely (Big Foot), others are supernatural (most gods).

The definition of the word 'natural' and the nature of the natural existence we call 'nature' is fairly easy to define and understand as the world that we experience through objective methods of science.

The 'supernatural' in simple terms consists of those beliefs and knowledge that caanot be verified or confirmed by objective methods, but unfortunately there are many who increase the fog index between the objective and subjective views of the nature of existence to include their religious worldviews in the objective proven world or that which is accepted as true beyond a resonable doubt. This view puts many religious beliefs on a very weak foundation.

I believe in God, a very natural God, and the existence of the supernatural world of miracles is a foolish mirage, and begs a superficial supernatural explanation. The best witness of the existence of God is the natural world itself, but this witness is without prrof or verifiable objective scientific evidence for God. The overused standard philisophical arguments for God trying to put religious beliefs on a firm logical foundation such as the cosmological and ontological are all weak circular arguments.

[Kuroko]

I think any form of imagination in accordance to much of the definitions described here are super-natural.

Nature in those definitions are what exist and what can be measured, then under that assumption any imagination we have into possibilities (this includes foresight and pre-thought into any matter) is in essence super-natural as these are not natural or even some thing which exists, no matter how based they are on reality as such.

I will say one thing on that note. Imagination, the ability to remove barriers binding of this universe is one piece of evidence on a personal level not of the existance of god, but instead of there being the possibility of a being existing with more imagination and simply more capability to put those idea's into motion. Any such action would be natural in itself because natural is simply what we know to happen. If some thing is put into motion which eventually happens is it not natural for having occured?

[Yasa]

Quote by: Kuroko I think any form of imagination in accordance to much of the definitions described here are super-natural. Nature in those definitions are what exist and what can be measured, then under that assumption any imagination we have into possibilities (this includes foresight and pre-thought into any matter) is in essence super-natural as these are not natural or even some thing which exists, no matter how based they are on reality as such. I will say one thing on that note. Imagination, the ability to remove barriers binding of this universe is one piece of evidence on a personal level not of the existance of god, but instead of there being the possibility of a being existing with more imagination and simply more capability to put those idea's into motion. Any such action would be natural in itself because natural is simply what we know to happen. If some thing is put into motion which eventually happens is it not natural for having occured?

Good thoughts :). It's all about thinking beyond ourselves and realizing the possibility for "unfathomable" things.

[Kuroko]

Hey Yasa.

I have another question for you (along the same lines as your sig).

I have proof that history repeats itself, I was born and apparantly i will die however I have doubts about the definition of both, if I was able to be born and equally able to die then before I was born was i not dead?

[Yasa]

Quote by: Kuroko Hey Yasa. I have another question for you (along the same lines as your sig). I have proof that history repeats itself, I was born and apparantly i will die however I have doubts about the definition of both, if I was able to be born and equally able to die then before I was born was i not dead?

Yeah, you were dead before you were "alive" and will die (again). If you look at the universe and see how we are just enery there really is no difference between life and death; alive and dead. At least... those are my thoughts.

[Fonceai]

@Yasa

To answer your initial question, people misunderstand the origin of the term "supernatural."

As stated earlier, the correct meaning of the word is for things whose explanation is beyond our current understanding of nature.

Where problems come in are when someone thinks they can explain something, make it "natural", but that explanation doesn't jive with others.