Defining Antisupernaturalism
In my previous post #The Atheistic Mind I showed that, according to current thinking, it's normal to want to believe in the supernatural. But if that's the case, why do so many people buck the trend? What is antisupernaturalism anyhow, and what causes a person to think this way?
To define "antisupernaturalism" we first need agreement on what is natural and what is not. That's going to be a problem, so I'll use my personal empirical definition instead: Antisupernaturalism is not believing in the supernatural including gods, devils, angels, demons, heaven, hell, afterlife, reincarnation, miracles, spirits, ghosts, poltergeists, vampires, werewolves, fairies, elves, pixies, goblins, sorcery, wizardry, witchcraft, clairvoyance, mediumship, astrology, theosophy, cabbalism, gematria, telepathy, precognition, divination, prophecy, destiny and fate. (add or delete according to your beliefs).
The words "atheism" and "antisupernaturalism" are not synonymous. An atheist is someone who does not believe that God exists. However, there are atheists who believe in the supernatural. For example, they might believe in astrology or ghosts, or that thirteen is an unlucky number.
People who don't believe in the supernatural often think that "...education and experience teach us to override it..."1. Take the example of thirteen being an unlucky number. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest this is true. You can try to prove it's true with this simple exercise. Shuffle a pack of cards and place it face down on the table. The unlucky card is the Joker. Pick thirteen cards at random, taking one card at a time. On try number thirteen you should pick the Joker. How did you go? Shuffle and try again.
In the last paragraph education defeated superstition. While that's usually true, it seems it's not the whole truth. In 2007 a survey of physicists, chemists and biologists at American universities found only 40% did not believe in God2. Maybe education is not the only factor. If you thought that atheism is simply a product of the educated elite, think again!!!
My next post: Supernaturalism is Illogical.
1. Michael Brooks, New Scientist, 7 February 2009 (Australian Edition).
2. Bruce Hood, Supersense, Constable UK 2009
To define "antisupernaturalism" we first need agreement on what is natural and what is not. That's going to be a problem, so I'll use my personal empirical definition instead: Antisupernaturalism is not believing in the supernatural including gods, devils, angels, demons, heaven, hell, afterlife, reincarnation, miracles, spirits, ghosts, poltergeists, vampires, werewolves, fairies, elves, pixies, goblins, sorcery, wizardry, witchcraft, clairvoyance, mediumship, astrology, theosophy, cabbalism, gematria, telepathy, precognition, divination, prophecy, destiny and fate. (add or delete according to your beliefs).
The words "atheism" and "antisupernaturalism" are not synonymous. An atheist is someone who does not believe that God exists. However, there are atheists who believe in the supernatural. For example, they might believe in astrology or ghosts, or that thirteen is an unlucky number.
People who don't believe in the supernatural often think that "...education and experience teach us to override it..."1. Take the example of thirteen being an unlucky number. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest this is true. You can try to prove it's true with this simple exercise. Shuffle a pack of cards and place it face down on the table. The unlucky card is the Joker. Pick thirteen cards at random, taking one card at a time. On try number thirteen you should pick the Joker. How did you go? Shuffle and try again.
In the last paragraph education defeated superstition. While that's usually true, it seems it's not the whole truth. In 2007 a survey of physicists, chemists and biologists at American universities found only 40% did not believe in God2. Maybe education is not the only factor. If you thought that atheism is simply a product of the educated elite, think again!!!
My next post: Supernaturalism is Illogical.
1. Michael Brooks, New Scientist, 7 February 2009 (Australian Edition).
2. Bruce Hood, Supersense, Constable UK 2009
posted by Robert Charroux at
3:07 PM
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