What Does Supernatural Mean in a Natural World?

Super cool. Super duper. Superimpose. Supersede. Superscript. Superhighway. Superhuman.

Those are many supers in our lives. But let’s focus on just one: supernatural.

The Supernatural as Invisible

Merriam-Webster defines supernatural as “of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe.”

It’s an intriguing definition because it is strangely focused on the concept of sight. Does this mean that everything that is not visible or observable is supernatural? Because, if so, then we can include things dark energy and dark matter, which are by definition invisible to us. Does it include quarks, since they are never directly observed or found in isolation? For that matter, does it include gravity or wind?

Perhaps it depends on what we mean by the observable. Things that consistently show up on some detector might be construed as observable and therefore natural, even if we don’t understand them well. In fact, we often need to guess about what we are detecting. For example, we can detect particles, but what if it turns out there aren’t any actual particles in nature, only superstrings (there’s that word super again) that only seem to be particles according to our most recent models?

The Supernatural as Abnormal and Transcendent

The truth is, we could do this all day, delving into the deep waters of ontology, epistemology and experimental physics. So, let’s try out another Merriam-Webster definition:

departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature

Hmm. So if it’s usual or abnormal, then it’s supernatural? That doesn’t seem right. How about transcending the laws of nature? After all, nature is the key word here, and one definition of that is “the external world in its entirety.”

Weird. I guess that suggests that our internal world is not natural. Does that mean it’s supernatural? And since we can never directly observe the external world (everything being mediated by our sensory organs), does this mean that our entire existence is supernatural?

“Oh, come on,” you say. “You’re just being a pedantic ass. By supernatural we mean things like ghosts or faeries or gods and the like.”

Good point. But what if we were to find out that faeries really do exist? Do they then become natural rather than supernatural? Do the boundaries of what is and isn’t supernatural change as we discover more about the universe? Is the definition of supernatural a force that we don’t currently think is real?

And we aren’t even getting into modern religion yet. Millions of people believe in a monotheistic God. Is God supernatural? Some would say so, others would say that God is not supernatural because God is real, even if God is beyond nature as we understand it.

See? Tricky stuff.

The Supernatural as Incomprehensible

Allow me to offer my own definition:

Supernatural refers to forces or objects that we think do not exist or, if they do, that are beyond our understanding and generally beyond our ability to control

I like the definition but it doesn’t seem quite right, does it?

For example, there was a time in the not very distance past that scientists figured, or at least postulated, that there was something called luminiferous aether, aka ether. They thought that since light travels in waves, it has to travel through some medium, just like waves move through water. But ether turned out not to exist because somehow light is both a wave and particle. No ether needed.

So, does this mean ether is/was supernatural?

Probably not, because supernatural seems to imply some kind of intelligence.

The Supernatural as Alive and Embodied

Therefore, supernatural refers to creatures or gods or spirits that exist beyond our ken.

Yes, sometimes it can be more abstract. For example, magic is often viewed as supernatural. But magic does not work by any natural laws, at least none that we can understand. Moreover, it is employed by magical or magic-wielding beings. Wizards, magicians, unicorns, trolls, etc.

If I’m leaving you more confused than ever, then join the group. In truth, I don’t think Merriam-Webster does a good job of defining supernatural, so let’s have a go at it ourselves:

Supernatural refers to some being–or to a force used by or embodied in some being–that cannot be explained by natural laws.

The Blurring of Supernatural and Natural

Pretty good, huh? Except for one thing: by that definition, every creature we know about is supernatural.

That is, there’s so much that we don’t understand about our own existence, from the quantum makeup of our bodies to the ways that our minds operate. Nor do we know that much about the lives and biology of our fellow creatures. Exactly how and when did life emerge? What are the codes behind protein folding? What is the function of whale song? How can we measure the intelligence of corvids? What neurobiological processes cause laughter?

In short, our existence contains countless mysteries that cannot be currently explained by natural laws. We tend to assume that eventually we will solve all these mysteries via the scientific method, and it’s that very assumption that keeps us from viewing ourselves and our fellow creatures as supernatural.

Perhaps this is why some mythologies are peopled by our fellow animal: crows, coyotes, rabbit, spiders, and so many more. In some ways, the religious tradition called animism is one based on the idea that all nature is supernatural, or that the lines between the two can blur to the point that we can no long distinguish between them.

What will happen in the future? I think it’s widely assumed that the concept of the supernatural will slowly recede before scientific understanding. But maybe the opposite is true: that we will evolve to the point where the entire universe is viewed as holy and mysterious, when nature disappears and only the supernatural remains.

Feature image: Bertalda, Assailed by Spirits c.1830, from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

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