The Theory of Nothing

What exactly does supernatural mean?

What exactly does supernatural mean?

This is another term that is bantered around in both religious discussions and in paranormal literature as well as occultism (ESP, astrology, spiritualism). It has shown up in movies, TV, pop, rock and rap music and art. But, what does it mean? The answer to that is simple: it's anything that exists above nature. Or in other words, it's not natural. That simple definition leads to lots of ideas and theories, not to mention religious dogma.

And, it seems that every religion and many scholars have differing opinions on its meaning. In Catholicism it's associated with miracles, beatific visions and angels. In some cases involving saints, this supernatural order was manifested in powers of curing diseases, doing miracles and even superpowers like flying or at least levitating. Remember the TV series 'The Flying Nun'?

Needless to say, there are lots of conflicting views on this concept of supernatural, and the reason for this is that no one is able to prove that a supernatural state or condition exists. It's a matter of belief not science. But, that hasn't stopped philosophers from applying the thought processes of metaphysics to it. Metaphysics involves trying to understand the meaning of existence or being and trying to comprehend what reality is. These are fundamental questions about what the term natural means. In fact, metaphysics was once called natural philosophy. Eventually, natural philosophy became science or the scientific method.

The modern concept of supernatural is tied up with ghosts, angels and paranormal events. Take for example the 1933 movie 'Supernatural'. Back then psychics were the rage. These were essentially charlatans that bilked people out of money so that they could make contact with their dead loved ones. In this movie we see spirit possession as the result of a violent crime.

Some TV series involving supernatural events are considered in the horror genre in which the main characters fight demons and ghosts, and in some cases end up in Hell only to be rescued by angels and so forth.

You get the feel that the idea of supernatural has become a highly prized story gimmick.

There has also been an Anime series called Supernatural. This is essentially a cartoon spin-off of the TV series that used live actors.

The true explanation or understanding of supernatural is elusive because it's so entwined with paranormal concepts. We could apply the term 'supernatural' to the pursuit of ghosts, angels, demons, superpowers, mental telepathy, miracles, out-of-body experiences, black magic, voodoo, mysticism, spirit possession, unexplained appearances, ancient aliens, and religious rapture. However, none of these things explains it.

This is what disturbs me about concepts like this. The word is bantered about and it's used without explanation. We humans seem to think that all we have to do is name some phenomenon and that makes it real. It doesn't, and I believe that more work should go into trying to understand the real nature of these abstract terms like supernatural.

Thanks for reading.