Are Flying Saucers Supernatural?

[Dog Breakfast]

I've been pondering this question. I don't think they are necessarily. I certainly don't think we're being visited by aliens, but it's not because I think that alien visitation is supernatural.

It's been proven that there are spacecrafts orbiting the earth. It's proven because humans put them there, so flying saucers and aliens are only as supernatural as space shuttles and humans. It's possible that living things traveling between planets is supernatural, but I'm not exactly sure how.

I usually rule out the supernatural, much to the chagrin of my religious friends, but I think whether aliens count is an interesting question that I can't quite answer. What do you all think?

 

[Denver]

I'd call them science fiction more then supernatural.

Unless they involve angels and demons (which some people say they do).

 

[catsmate]

I've been pondering this question. I don't think they are necessarily. I certainly don't think we're being visited by aliens, but it's not because I think that alien visitation is supernatural.

It's been proven that there are spacecrafts orbit the earth. It's proven because humans put them there, so flying saucers and aliens are only as supernatural as space shuttles and humans. It's possible that living things traveling between planets is supernatural, but I'm not exactly sure how.

I usually rule out the supernatural, much to the chagrin of my religious friends, but I think whether aliens count is an interesting question that I can't quite answer. What do you all think?

First show "flying saucers" exist, then speculate about their origin.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

"Supernatural" works fine. It fails the same sniff tests as psychics, ghosts, gods, etc.

[ETA] One thing since you're new here: we get a lot of crap from the nuts about making the distinction between UFOs, flying saucers, and actual factual aliens. The idea is generally to spend the whole time arguing about UFOs without assuming they are supernatural, then at the end point over at the aliens and wink.

It doesn't work very often.

 

[Saule]

As such, they are nothing supernatural.
Sightings of them is another issue (but not supernatural).

 

[AdMan]

I wouldn't consider the existence of intelligent life outside earth supernatural at all. They may even have spaceships capable of interplanetary travel. However, that these ships are not only also capable of crossing interstellar distances but are also visiting earth has such low probability, in my opinion, that it verges on the supernatural/paranormal.

 

[Dog Breakfast]

Right, belief in angels being on flying saucers (a la the Heaven's Gate cult) is hands down a supernatural belief. But just aliens doesn't seem like it. We're aliens to the rocks on Mars, after all.

 

[Dog Breakfast]

First show "flying saucers" exist, then speculate about their origin.

I guess I was asking whether the belief in flying saucers is a supernatural belief. I didn't want to discuss whether or not alien visitation is actually going on. I don't think so, but we can talk about that in another thread.

 

[Zax63]

I agree with the OP that alien spacecraft are not supernatural. They may or may not exist but they don't inherently break any laws of nature. It think it quite likely that somewhere in the universe is another race that has managed to leave it's home world.

If you start specifying capabilities like faster than light travel or teleportation or posit current or past alien visitation then that would be another topic.

 

[Zax63]

I guess I was asking whether the belief in flying saucers is a supernatural belief. I didn't want to discuss whether or not alien visitation is actually going on. I don't think so, but we can talk about that in another thread.

I wouldn't call the belief supernatural but it isn't well supported. I can believe there is an elephant in the house across the street. I'd be wrong but there is nothing supernatural about it.

 

[Marduk]

I agree with the OP that alien spacecraft are not supernatural. They may or may not exist but they don't inherently break any laws of nature. It think it quite likely that somewhere in the universe is another race that has managed to leave it's home world.

If you start specifying capabilities like faster than light travel or teleportation or posit current or past alien visitation then that would be another topic.

most of them on later inspection transformed into mundane objects, isn't that supernatural ?

 

[MG1962]

I suppose the first step would be to figure out what a UFO is before we can start considering what it isn't

 

[AdMan]

I suppose the first step would be to figure out what a UFO is before we can start considering what it isn't

Well, the OP never mentioned UFOs. He mentioned flying saucers and aliens, so I assume he meant extraterrestrial beings flying around in their craft.

 

[George 152]

Before Man could fly any aerial phenomena was interpreted as angels.
When ballooning began all people saw were balloons and dirigibles.
Now, with heavier than air machines, they see 'flying saucers'.
There ain't no such thing as flying saucers unless we build them !

 

[Beerina]

Woo is not necessarily synonymous with supernatural.

Bigfoot and Nessie would not be supernatural, either.


I'd go one further and claim that "supernatural" doesn't even exist, if it existed. In other words, a ghost or demon would operate according to rules of physics addressable by scientific analysis, even if the physics differs greatly from what is currently known.

At the high end, so to speak, even God's brain works by some mechanism.

 

[Dinwar]

They're perfectly natural. And estimated cost is around $99,000.

It's been proven that there are spacecrafts orbiting the earth. It's proven because humans put them there, so flying saucers and aliens are only as supernatural as space shuttles and humans. It's possible that living things traveling between planets is supernatural, but I'm not exactly sure how.

I usually rule out the supernatural, much to the chagrin of my religious friends, but I think whether aliens count is an interesting question that I can't quite answer. What do you all think?

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. However, I seriously doubt that anything supernatural could be occurring. Even if there was, though, you've got things backwards. First you have to prove that there's something to explain, and speculation that there might be isn't sufficient (unless you're writing a sci-fi novel; then have fun, the "fi" part typically negates the "sci" part anyway).

I guess I was asking whether the belief in flying saucers is a supernatural belief.

Well, it's certainly a silly one, and clearly is based on a lack of evidence rather than hard facts so it's very much akin to supernatural belief. However, I think it's a different symptom of the same disease. Supernaturalism, UFOism, conspiracy theories, they all stem from the same basic errors in thinking.

 

[Dog Breakfast]

I suppose the first step would be to figure out what a UFO is before we can start considering what it isn't

I was trying to be very careful not to use the term UFO, because they are defined by their unknown nature. I said flying saucers because flying saucers are specifically related to aliens and things.

If we somehow found out about aliens piloting UFO's, I daresay their crafts would certainly be identified, and a more accurate term would be IFO.

I'd like to stick to "flying saucers," by your leave, because that's a lot less ambiguous.

 

[Dog Breakfast]

I'd go one further and claim that "supernatural" doesn't even exist, if it existed. In other words, a ghost or demon would operate according to rules of physics addressable by scientific analysis, even if the physics differs greatly from what is currently known.

Exactly! It's almost as though the defining characteristic of supernatural phenomena is that they're not real, or that people just say, "Hey, it's magic," and leave it at that.

 

[Dog Breakfast]

They're perfectly natural. And estimated cost is around $99,000.

Hey Dinwar, my birthday's soon. I really don't want anyone to get me anything, though.

 

[AdMan]

I was trying to be very careful not to use the term UFO, because they are defined by their unknown nature. I said flying saucers because flying saucers are specifically related to aliens and things.

If we somehow found out about aliens piloting UFO's, I daresay their crafts would certainly be identified, and a more accurate term would be IFO.

I'd like to stick to "flying saucers," by your leave, because that's a lot less ambiguous.

Please do. We had one member in particular who wrote countless posts attempting to convince us that UFO = alien craft.

One of his many arguments by redefinition (he even tried to redefine "alien").