Jump to content
Goodbye Jesus

Supernatural vs Advanced Technology


midniterider

Recommended Posts

I was watching a Dillahunty video discussing miracles and the supernatural. He pointed out to the caller that even though some event may occur, he (Dillahunty) would be unable to determine if it was supernatural (from God) in origin or simply some advanced technology being employed. He also mentioned Arthur C. Clarke's quote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

 

This is all a hypothetical discussion anyway as we dont really believe in God, but I would say that a supernatural power IS advanced technology. What if there was an advanced technology so advanced that humanity would never be able to figure out how it worked? Would we be able to  use the term supernatural at that point? 

 

We could also reverse Clarke's quote to say that "Magic is indistinguishable from a sufficiently advanced technology." Just musing a bit about Dillahunty's attempt to sanitize the woo out of speech.

 

Ok, destroy me. :) 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ll spare your life this time.  I would just say that it’s hypothetical because I have never seen such a thing; it’s like discussing if pigs had wings.  If someone walked on water, or resurrected someone whose head had been blown off, I guess I might wonder if they were aliens with superior technology; but I’m still waiting to see something like that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

5 hours ago, midniterider said:

This is all a hypothetical discussion anyway as we dont really believe in God, but I would say that a supernatural power IS advanced technology. What if there was an advanced technology so advanced that humanity would never be able to figure out how it worked? Would we be able to  use the term supernatural at that point? 

 

 

If it's technology then presumably it is built of components which are parts of, and operate under the laws of, the natural world. So no,  it's not supernatural. Technology seems to me to be natural more or less by definition. 

 

Whether or not we should expect to be able to understand everything which is natural is a question that I find interesting. It seems very plausible to me that there might exist an advanced technology (or even just a feature of the universe) that we not only do not understand,  but cannot understand. But this still would not be supernatural. It would just be beyond our comprehension.

 

Why on earth should we expect to be able to understand everything that exists in nature?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.