I am no mystic. By nature, I believe that I am inclined towards scepticism. Occasionally, however, events have occurred that appear to defy reason or scientific explanation. Coincidence is a good example. The traditional scientific explanation holds that coincidences are inevitable within the laws of chance. An alternative explanation entertains the possibility of an as-yetContinue reading “The Paradoxical Nature of Coincidence”
Category Archives: coincidence
The Paradox of Coincidence
The Paradox By the Principle of the Long Run, a coincidence is always deemed to be a chance event, no matter how long the odds. If paranormal coincidences exist, the normal scientific approach means that they would be mixed in with chance events and made non-significant. Science rules out of existence the very phenomenon that itContinue reading “The Paradox of Coincidence”
Improbability and Impossibility in Nature
The Science of the Impossible When the sun, moon and earth all fall into alignment, something improbable happens – a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse in improbable but it is not impossible, because it actually can happen. Not very often, of course, but on a few rare, predictable occasions. On average a solar eclipse occursContinue reading “Improbability and Impossibility in Nature”
Under the Wallpaper
One never really knows what might be under the wallpaper. Redecorating reveals secrets, a history of domestic habitation. When my parents sold up and bought a house about 50 years ago, they left few traces. I often look down the street from the main road as I go past, to see if the place isContinue reading “Under the Wallpaper”
Reality or Illusion?
This post was updated on 17 August 2022. I have provided accounts of five striking coincidences over my lifetime. The five events individually have odds in the range 10-9 to 10-18. What are the odds that all five coincidences could happen to one individual? The answer is that the odds are way off the end ofContinue reading “Reality or Illusion?”
The Flying Horseshoe
A Mysterious Horse Shoe It is one of our cultural beliefs that horseshoes are lucky. Almost everybody knows it. Many respect it. There is a cottage industry around it. Almost every “olde worlde” pub and inn in Europe displays one or more horseshoes. Almost anybody who has had contact with horses, and many who haveContinue reading “The Flying Horseshoe”
Citizen 63 – Marion Knight
What I Missed Seeing It was 1963. I had played a minor role in a BBC documentary film “Marion Knight’ but had missed seeing it because I was travelling abroad. This was an era without video recorders or YouTube. If you missed something, you missed it, and that was that. The ‘Citizen 63’ series received critical praise. TheContinue reading “Citizen 63 – Marion Knight”
Coincidence, Luck or a Bit of Both?
How many striking coincidences can we expect in a single lifetime? Setting the bar high, let’s define ‘striking’ as a probability of less than one in a billion. I list here a few of my own. The first set of coincidences was an incredible run of luck while travelling as a student. I feel entitledContinue reading “Coincidence, Luck or a Bit of Both?”
Chilling
‘Murdered’ British backpacker Grace Millane, 22, made a chilling final Instagram post – featuring a skull painting and a quote about death. Grace, an advertising graduate and talented artist, is believed to have been killed between December 1 and 2, court documents show. A few weeks before her death, Grace, had uploaded her last post toContinue reading “Chilling”
One person’s coincidence another person’s yawn?
I recently came across the late Michael Thalbourne‘s ‘A BRIEF TREATISE ON COINCIDENCE’. Fascinating! Especially notable in Michael’s account is the huge gap that exists between the impact of a coincidence on the experiencer and an outsider perspective on the very same event. This fact is revealed in his own experiences of sharing coincidences andContinue reading “One person’s coincidence another person’s yawn?”
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