Supernatural vs. Preternatural — What's the Difference?

Supernatural phenomena are understood to exist outside the boundaries of the natural world and its laws, often invoking the concept of divine or mystical forces. Examples include ghosts, deities, and magic. In contrast, preternatural phenomena, while also lying outside the normal experience, are not necessarily considered to involve supernatural forces or beings. Instead, they might be extraordinarily unusual but still potentially explainable through yet-undiscovered natural laws.

The supernatural realm is often associated with religious or spiritual belief systems, where entities and forces are deemed to operate on a plane of existence that transcends the physical world. This encompasses concepts like heaven, hell, and the power of deities. Preternatural, however, is more likely to be used in discussions about anomalies that don’t fit into current scientific understanding but don’t explicitly invoke spiritual or religious explanations. An example could be unexplained natural phenomena that seem to defy current scientific explanations but might still be understood through further scientific inquiry.

In literature and popular culture, supernatural elements are frequently central to genres like fantasy and horror, where they drive plot and character interactions with worlds beyond the familiar physical reality. Preternatural elements, while they can also appear in these genres, often take the form of mysterious but not explicitly magical or divine occurrences, suggesting that they could be explained if the characters or society had a greater understanding of the natural world.

The perception of what constitutes supernatural versus preternatural can be influenced by cultural and individual beliefs about the world and its workings. What one culture or individual may consider supernatural, involving gods or spirits, another might view as preternatural, simply unusual or rare within the natural order, hinting at the subjective nature of these categorizations.

Despite their differences, both concepts stimulate the human imagination and have been used throughout history to explain the unexplainable, to provide comfort or to invoke fear, showcasing humanity's endless fascination with what lies beyond the known and the seen.