(November 3, 2016 at 2:00 pm)Rhizomorph13 Wrote:(November 3, 2016 at 7:21 am)Sal Wrote: Supernatural is natural phenomena that hasn't been explained yet, or lack evidence to be explained coherently.
"I saw a ghost!" Any number of natural explanations would render such a supernatural anecdote to banal & trivial phenomena; "it was the wind", or the personal "you're just mistaken wind and light artification." Which, for the supernaturally explanation inclined, are unsatisfactory explanations.
No, that isn't the most useful definition for supernatural because then supernatural would differ from person to person based on their understanding of science.
Isn't it like that for any scientific understanding? I mean, as an example, how often isn't the word "theory" thrown around by the anti-evolutionists in a vain attempt to discredit Evolution? It's based on a misunderstanding. A theory is simply the describing and modeling of the facts there are, but tell that to the anti-evolutionists and they equivocate "theory" with the word "guesswork". It's pretty much inescapable that misunderstanding will arise when people use different definitions and apply them therefore differently. I think this level of possible misunderstanding is applicable to any theory in science.
(November 3, 2016 at 2:00 pm)Rhizomorph13 Wrote: It even does right now but that is why I challenge the usefulness of the word; why bother if it is based on understanding? I think things are either real or not real and if they are real they are also within nature. Now that I think about it "natural" then becomes a useless word.
My motives aren't that pure; I want to hijack the word ... give it a useful meaning instead of the book definition.
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool." - Richard P. Feynman
