Talk:Preternatural
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Wouldn't this be better in Wiktionery? Wetman 11:42, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)
- And what exactly does "science's 'too difficult' basket" mean? --Fastfission 05:11, 15 Sep 2004 (UTC)
I believe this word 'preternatural' is somewhat ambiguous. It seems to be generally used as a somewhat more restrained alternative to 'supernatural', which is perhaps more suggestive of something 'religious' or 'mystical'. One could say "Einstein seems to have had a preternatural aptitude for mathematics" amongst a gathering of hardened skeptics without drawing awkward stares, whereas the statement "Einstein seems to have had a supernatural aptitude for mathematics" would be more likley to draw some groans. Weird illustration, but I think it conveys the point i am trying to make ;).~~
I have seen 'preternatural' used in fiction to denote werewolves and the like, while 'supernatural' seems to be reserved for demons and angels. In Christian writings, 'supernatural' seems to be reserved for God, and 'preternatural' is used for anything else miraculous or abnormal. Franzeska 19:47, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
The misunderstanding here justifies the need for the article to stay for now. Preternatural is used to describe an anomaly which scientific theory does not yet take into account. Preternatural describes occurances that are not explained by scientific theories, not the pre-scientific ideas that try to explain the anomaly in a mythical way. The preternatural does NOT include occultism, religion, mysticism, monsters, vampires, or legendary creatures. Please read the quotations on the main article. Stevenwagner 18:21, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
- In contradiction to the above the article now says: "Other examples of preternatural creatures INCLUDE Lycanthropes (such as Werewolves), Vampires and Zombies.". I see the simple difference in the latin word meanings: preternatural=beyond nature, supernatural=above nature. Only difference seems to be that "supernatural" includes religion, deism and spirituality while preternatural excludes those. Is preternatural simply a subcategory of supernatural as "supernatural as a human coping mechanism" (like fear for undead or animals) or "supernatural manifested through nature" (like fallen angels power downgrading from supernatural godlike power to preternatural magic. See Category talk:Paranormal for differentiating definitions --Ollj 13:52, 23 August 2006 (UTC)
I am very humble when I enter this discussion. I came across the word for the first time in my life this morning, and, wanting to know what it meant searched one of my main sources of knowledge. The context I met this word in, tells me however, that in some senses there is a great difference between supernatural, a word which I have known and used for decades, and preternatural. This was an article in Nat'l Geographic about Reinhold Messner, and I feel that using the one word about his climbing abilities would make complete sense - meaning "out of this world" but definitely not the other one with its normal religious use. --Jancr0207 07:25, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
