Are Natural and Supernatural Mutually Exclusive?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the relationship between the natural and supernatural realms, concluding that they are mutually exclusive by definition. The term "supernatural" is derived from the Latin prefix "super," meaning "above," indicating that supernatural phenomena exist beyond natural laws. Key literature mentioned includes "The Master Game" by de Ropp and "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins, both of which provide insightful perspectives on this topic. Additionally, the discussion highlights the concept of metaphysics as closely related to the supernatural.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the definitions of "natural" and "supernatural."
  • Familiarity with Latin prefixes, particularly "super" and "meta."
  • Basic knowledge of metaphysics and its relation to the supernatural.
  • Awareness of key philosophical texts discussing these concepts.
NEXT STEPS
  • Read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins for a critical examination of supernatural claims.
  • Explore "The Master Game" by de Ropp for a deeper understanding of the supernatural.
  • Research the concept of metaphysics and its implications in philosophy.
  • Investigate the historical context and evolution of the term "supernatural" in literature.
USEFUL FOR

Philosophers, theologians, students of metaphysics, and anyone interested in the discourse surrounding natural and supernatural phenomena.

raven1
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Hello
I was talking with someone bout natural vs supernatural when it relates to something such as ID and one thing that seems to be a hurdle is , are they mutually exclusive or not?
Is there a book or website that does a good job discussing it?
 
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raven1 said:
Hello
I was talking with someone bout natural vs supernatural when it relates to something such as ID and one thing that seems to be a hurdle is , are they mutually exclusive or not?
Is there a book or website that does a good job discussing it?

supernatural –adjective 1. of, pertaining to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal.
So, natural and supernatural are, by definition, mutually exclusive.
 
CEL said:
So, natural and supernatural are, by definition, mutually exclusive.

Supernatural composed of Super and natural, if we think super as excellent
Then it sounds somewhat like excellent nature,Therefore I would like to tell nature is the subset of the Supernatural
 
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coverme said:
Supernatural composed of Super and natural, if we think super as excellent
Then it sounds somewhat like excellent nature,Therefore I would like to tell nature is the subset of the Supernatural

Super is the latin prefix meaning "above," and it's use in super natural literally translates to "that which is above natural," in other words..that which is not natural. The English use of the word "super" as being synonymous with "excellent" evolved from the same Latin root but now has a different meaning.
 
junglebeast said:
Super is the latin prefix meaning "above," and it's use in super natural literally translates to "that which is above natural," in other words..that which is not natural. The English use of the word "super" as being synonymous with "excellent" evolved from the same Latin root but now has a different meaning.

A similar phenomenon exists for the greek prefix meta, meaning beyond. Metaphysics means beyond physics and is almost synonimous of supernatural.
 
'The Master Game' by de Ropp is one of my favorites. He gives an engaging and reasonable discussion of the isssues. I also like 'Exploring the Crack in the Cosmic Egg' by Pearce.
 
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I think "supernatural" means some thing that occurs out of the predictable magnitude of the human's imagination.
We generalize and predict what could happen or what suppose to happen, i.e. the brain-dead patient should never go out of his coma; nonetheless, it would be supernatural that one would recover from a diagnosed brain-dead status.
 
raven1 said:
Hello
I was talking with someone bout natural vs supernatural when it relates to something such as ID and one thing that seems to be a hurdle is , are they mutually exclusive or not?
Is there a book or website that does a good job discussing it?


Yes, there is; it's a brilliant book by Richard Dawkins called The God Delusion. Pick it up!
 

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