Modern Science Unable to Explain Mysterious Coincidences

Probably, physicists do not know everything about the organization of the world

Incredible coincidences take place in the life of every person. An unexpected meeting in an unexpected location, an event that happened simultaneously with another absolutely different event - there are too many variants. Even vehement materialists doubt at times that it is simply a game of probability that life plays with people. A lot of outstanding scientists have been trying to explain mysterious coincidences.

The intellectual cannibal from the movie The Silence of the Lambs played by Anthony Hopkins could easily decipher any riddle. However, he would probably have difficulties with the phenomenon that once took place in Mr. Hopkins' real life. The event was absolutely unbelievable - it was hard to believe it even if it were a part of the movie. Once, the actor was given the leading role in the movie Girls from Petrovka. Yet, the book, on which the scenario of the film was based, could not be found in any London store. One day, Mr. Hopkins saw the book in the metro on his way home - someone had left it on a bench. There were pencil marks made on the pages of the book. About 18 months later, Anthony Hopkins became acquainted with the author of the novel. The writer said that he had sent the last copy of his novel to the director (he had made pencil marks on pages), but the latter lost the book in the metro.

Another incredible coincidence became a remarkable event for all intelligence services of the world. Shortly before the landing of commandos in Normandy in 1944, the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph had published a crossword. The answers to the crossword contained the codes of a very important operation conducted during WWII. The title of the operation could be found in the answers too - "Overload." As it turned out, the crossword had been made by an innocent school teacher, who had no idea about what he was actually doing. English intelligence officers thought that they were looking for an extremely experienced German spy, but they found just a teacher.

On July 28th 1900, the King of Italy Umberto I was having dinner in a restaurant in the city of Monza. It turned out later that the restaurant's owner looked exactly like the king. Furthermore, the owner's name was Umberto, his wife's name was the same as the queen's and the restaurant was opened on the king's inauguration. Restaurant-owner Umberto was shot dead the next morning. An anarchist shot King Umberto I a few hours later.

Is it just a coincidence that American presidents were elected on the year ending with zero? Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Kennedy (1960) were assassinated, Harrison died of pneumonia. Roosevelt (1940) died of poliomyelitis, Harding (1920) had a severe heart attack. There was an attempted assassination against Reagan (1980). Now there is George W. Bush  in the White House (2000). Was it incidental when a favorite alarm-clock of Pope Paul VI suddenly went on alarm at 9 p.m. when the Pope died. The alarm-clock was always set at 6 a.m. 

As a rule, people explain such phenomena as a game of chances. A lot of outstanding figures have been trying to find an explanation. Italian philosopher and scholar Pico della Mirandola was one of them. The philosopher believed that all objects in the world were all connected as one, which could be separated and joined together. The theory seems to be rather naive, although modern theories are actually additions to it. In the 19th century, Arthur Schopenhauer denied the chance of coincidences. He believed that they were caused with the world harmony, criss-crossing people’s lives. 

Wolfgang Pauli, one of the founders of quantum physics, attempted  to unravel the mystery of coincidences. He joined his efforts with outstanding psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. Pauli formulated the key principle of the theoretical physics, according to which two particles cannot be in the equal quantum state. Jung is known for his collective unconsciousness theories. Working on the explanation of coincidences, Pauli and Jung developed a hybrid of their theories when they published the scientific research titled "Synchronicity, an Acausal Connecting Principle." Their theory interpreted coincidences as an indication of the yet-unknown universal principle which connects all physical laws as one. From this point of view, such mysterious phenomena as telepathy and the foreknowledge of future can also be a reflection of sporadic physical regularities on the external side of the human life.

Academician Andrey Slavnov said: "I have had  many opportunities to dwell upon the nature of strange coincidences in our life. However, I have never encountered the statistically true analysis of probabilities at this point. This conclusion is necessary for the scientific explanation first and foremost. One has to weigh all factors affecting the probability of coincidences - the probability may not be small as a result. People can always make mistakes, facts can be documented mistakenly. For example, scientists once discovered a magnetic monopole (the analogue of the monopole electric charge, although all magnets are bipolar). Yet, this result has not been ever repeated. As far As Pauli's theory is concerned, modern theoretical physics knows the universal principle which regulates coincidences and the foreknowledge of the future. I think that it is a good ground for a pseudo-science, although such stories always incite people's imagination."

Probably, physicists do not know everything about the organization of the world. There is a so-called cluster effect - when independent objects are drawn to piling. Every woman knows that cherries always pile up in a cherry pie. Coincidences are inevitable - there is no mathematician who can predict them.