Defining "Paranormal"

The term “paranormal” as defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary reads:

 adj \ˌpa-rə-ˈnor-məl, ˈpa-rə-ˌ\ : not scientifically explainable

This is an extremely broad, yet succinct, definition.  And this definition in the reason I’m baffled that synonyms like “supernatural,” “spectral,” “mystical,” and “occult” are commonly used in its place.  This is utter nonsense and most likely the act of the speaker to invoke a kind of sensationalism into his parlance.

Paranormal phenomenon is simply something that cannot immediately be explained through science.  This does not mean that it will not EVENTUALLY be explained through science.  According to this definition, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum might use the term “paranormal” with respect to climate change, since there is apparently a popular disagreement on what seems to me, anyway, like solid scientific fact.  But science is constantly being debated…as is the paranormal.

This is an interesting site to explore, as I’ve done some consulting for the organization in years past:

http://paranormalresearchsociety.org/