'Synchronicity' is the idea that events can happen at the same time because of a deep principle of the universe that depends, not on cause and effect, but on meaning.
To be clear, I don't think it is real effect. It was put forward by Carl Jung (who I think believed in a collective unconscious that somehow makes us all part of a greater whole) and later adopted by others, among them Arthur Koestler, who wrote in The roots of coincidence about (the details are from memory) meeting someone at a bus stop. A clear winter night, and Koestler pointed out the constellation Orion. The man said his name was O'Ryan, and showed the back of his hand, with seven small moles that looked exactly like the constellation.
A few days ago I came across an article about synchronicity in a journal published by the Royal Statistical Society. Its main idea, I think, was to explore whether statistics could be used to examine claims for synchronicity.
Shortly after that I was looking at the cartoons of Gustave Verbeek - see earlier post - and this reminded me of an odd experience I once had.
Here I feel a little like a Victorian literary character, sitting in a club, saying “You must make up your own minds Gentlemen, about this true story that once happened to me.” And then I would puff reflectively at my cigar before beginning.
'I came across Verbeek first in the 25-year long column written by Martin Gardner in in Scientific American, until 1979. I was an avid follower all that time, but couldn’t get a copy every month, sometimes the newsagent would have sold out.
One night, passing through Kings Cross station, seeing a W.H.Smith shop - here's the important bit -
I knew I should visit the shop and buy Scientific American, and it would MENTION ME.
I did and it did. My hero Martin Gardner had referred to a small article I had written. I had absolutely no reason to expect this, we had never corresponded, I had no information about what his next topic would be, I am not famous and this was the single work of mine that he ever mentioned.
But I have never forgotten the feeling I had at the time, that this was destined.’
Synchronicity
'Synchronicity' is the idea that events can happen at the same time because of a deep principle of the universe that depends, not on cause and effect, but on meaning.
To be clear, I don't think it is real effect. It was put forward by Carl Jung (who I think believed in a collective unconscious that somehow makes us all part of a greater whole) and later adopted by others, among them Arthur Koestler, who wrote in The roots of coincidence about (the details are from memory) meeting someone at a bus stop. A clear winter night, and Koestler pointed out the constellation Orion. The man said his name was O'Ryan, and showed the back of his hand, with seven small moles that looked exactly like the constellation.
A few days ago I came across an article about synchronicity in a journal published by the Royal Statistical Society. Its main idea, I think, was to explore whether statistics could be used to examine claims for synchronicity.
Shortly after that I was looking at the cartoons of Gustave Verbeek - see earlier post - and this reminded me of an odd experience I once had.
Here I feel a little like a Victorian literary character, sitting in a club, saying “You must make up your own minds Gentlemen, about this true story that once happened to me.” And then I would puff reflectively at my cigar before beginning.
'I came across Verbeek first in the 25-year long column written by Martin Gardner in in Scientific American, until 1979. I was an avid follower all that time, but couldn’t get a copy every month, sometimes the newsagent would have sold out.
One night, passing through Kings Cross station, seeing a W.H.Smith shop - here's the important bit -
I knew I should visit the shop and buy Scientific American, and it would MENTION ME.
I did and it did. My hero Martin Gardner had referred to a small article I had written. I had absolutely no reason to expect this, we had never corresponded, I had no information about what his next topic would be, I am not famous and this was the single work of mine that he ever mentioned.
But I have never forgotten the feeling I had at the time, that this was destined.’