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The Roots of Coincidence
- Type
- Book
- By
- Arthur Koestler
- Publisher
- Hutchinson
- Source
- Hutchinson
- Published
- 1972
A classic 1972 investigation of coincidence and parapsychology, skeptical of the fraud and dazzled by the anomalies, written by one of the great essayists of the century.
Arthur Koestler spent the last part of a brilliant career chasing the anomalies at the edge of science, and The Roots of Coincidence (1972) is his most sustained attempt to take parapsychology seriously. He was skeptical of the fraud, dazzled by the experiments, and incapable of boring prose — which is why the book still reads well a half-century later.
Koestler coined the phrase "coincidences are puns of destiny," and it captures his position: he wanted the mystery to be real, and that desire is exactly what his critics point to. The book is best read as a period piece — a serious mind defending the anomalies while the mainstream looked away — and it still shapes how both sides of the argument speak.
Coincidences are puns of destiny.
The meaning
Koestler argues the anomalies are real and that mainstream science is wrong to dismiss them out of hand — a serious mind defending the mystery.
The skeptic
Koestler was repeatedly criticized for wishful thinking: he wanted the anomalies to be real, and that desire colored his judgment of the evidence.
About the author
Hungarian-British novelist and essayist who spent his later career investigating the paranormal with skeptical sympathy.
Key takeaways
- Koestler surveyed parapsychology and coincidence with both sympathy and skepticism.
- He coined the famous phrase "coincidences are puns of destiny."
- A period piece that still shapes how both sides argue today.