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Arthur Koestler
- Type
- Person
- By
- Novelist and essayist (1905–1983)
- Affiliation
- Writer
- Source
- Wikipedia ↗
- Published
- 1905
The great essayist behind The Roots of Coincidence, who coined one of the topic's most quoted lines.
Arthur Koestler (1905–1983) was one of the great essayists of the twentieth century — the author of Darkness at Noon — and he spent the last part of his career chasing the anomalies at the edge of science. The Roots of Coincidence (1972) is that pursuit's most famous product.
Koestler coined the line that still gets quoted: "Coincidences are puns of destiny." It captures his position precisely — he wanted the mystery to be real, and his critics argue that the wanting shaped his judgment. Whatever the verdict, he brought a first-rate mind to the subject and gave it a seriousness it had not had before.
Coincidences are puns of destiny.
The meaning
Koestler brought a first-rate mind to the anomalies and refused to look away — a serious intellectual defending the mystery.
The skeptic
His critics argue he wanted the mystery to be real, and that the desire shaped his reading of the evidence.
About this person
Hungarian-British writer who spent his later career investigating coincidence and parapsychology.
Key takeaways
- Author of The Roots of Coincidence (1972).
- Coined the phrase "coincidences are puns of destiny."
- A major literary figure whose late work shaped the modern debate.