Are Coincidences Just Chance Or Are They Something More?

[Snozzle]

Coincidences happen to most people. Simple ones are such as when the phone rings while you are thinking about that person.

Sometimes though coincidences happen where the odds against them happening are immense. Like my father's watch stopping at the time my son was born, and many more besides.

So do coincidences happen purely by chance or is there a more meaniningful explanation?

Mike.

[Egaladeist]

Well, it happens...I can remembver thinkng I haven't heard that song in ages and then it comes on the radio, or I haven't seen that movie in ages and then it comes on TV within days...

the last time was with the movie Screamers...I thought about it and the next week it was on TV.

Why it happens, or if it's just a coincidence I have no idea.

[rapier57]

Coincidence:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/coincidence

–noun
1. a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance: Our meeting in Venice was pure coincidence.
2. the condition or fact of coinciding.
3. an instance of this.
Origin:
1595–1605; coincid(ent) + -ence

Synonyms:
1. accident, luck, fate.

Yer begging the question. If you want to talk about predestination, fore-ordination, divine intervention, or karma, state it plainly. Don't try to put more into a term than it actually holds.

[Aspman]

Probability.

Just because a thing is one in a billion that doesn't mean it won't happen.

[keezel]

IMO the human mind is prone to search for patterns and meaning.