Page 55 - DENG405_BRITISH_POETRY

British Poetry

Notes Supernaturalism is a belief in an otherworldly realm or reality that, in one way or another, is
commonly associated with all forms of religion. Evidence of neither the idea of nature nor the
experience of a purely natural realm is found among primitive people, who inhabit a wonder world
charged with the sacred power (or mana), spirits, and deities. Primitive man associates whatever is
experienced as uncanny or powerful with the presence of a sacred or numinous power; yet he
constantly lives in a profane realm that is made comprehensible by a paradigmatic, mythical sacred
realm.
What is supernaturalism? It is the belief that events and values require supernatural powers or
authority for their explanation. Natural explanations may be reliable on an immediate level, but
they in turn must eventually require a supernatural cause.

According to supernaturalism, a supernatural order is the original and
fundamental source of all that exists. It is this supernatural order which defines
the limits of what may be known.

The difference between these two positions is one of the fundamental differences between atheists
and theists-it is a difference which tends to cause the most disagreement and most friction. Atheists
tend to be naturalists - taking the perspective that this natural world is all there is, all there is to
know, and does not require anything “supernatural” to explain it. Theists tend to be supernaturalists
- assuming that a supernatural realm exists beyond what we see and is necessary in order to explain
our universe.
Supernaturalism is the belief that there are beings, forces, and phenomena such as God, angels or
miracles which interact with the physical universe in remarkable and unique ways. Supernaturalism
is a fundamental premise of theism. Theists by definition hold to a supernaturalistic worldview
which stands in contrast to the atheistic premise of naturalism, which denies the existence of any
supernatural phenomena.
The word supernatural comes from the Latin word super meaning “above” + nature. It should
however, be noted that although some supernatural phenomena may not be perceived by natural
or empirical senses, a great many supernatural events have been witnessed in biblical and modern
times. Numerous events in Earth’s history require a supernaturalistic belief before they can be
correctly understood or interpreted.

Self Assessment

State the following sentences are True or False:
1. Negative capability describes the resistance to a set of institutional arrangements.
2. The term negative capability was first used by the Romantic poet John Milton.
3. Renaissance was a neoclassical movement that spanned roughly the 14th to 17th century.
4. The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography.
5. Hellenism is a cultural movement distinct from other Roman.
6. Mary Robinson were deeply involved in retelling the myths of classical Greece.
7. The Supernatural force regulates both man and nature.

5.5 Fancy and Imagination

Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations
and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses.

48 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY