In Praise of Coincidence

Janice Konstantinidis
3 min readFeb 4, 2024

The proposition that the universe unfolds without coincidences posits an intriguing philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence, causality, and perhaps destiny. When individuals assert the nonexistence of coincidences, they are, perhaps unwittingly, engaging in a discourse that stretches back to the foundational questions of metaphysics and epistemology. Are the events of our lives the result of a complex yet predetermined web of cause and effect, meticulously orchestrated without room for randomness or serendipity?

Examining people’s underlying belief systems regarding the universe and its operations requires interrogating the notion that coincidences are an impossibility. This perspective might imply a deterministic view of the universe, where every event is the inevitable consequence of preceding actions and conditions, leaving no space for the arbitrary or unplanned. Such a viewpoint raises critical questions about the nature of free will, the essence of randomness, and the existence of a possibly preordained cosmic order.

The skepticism towards dismissing coincidences can be understood as challenging the human tendency to seek patterns and meaning in the fabric of existence. This inclination towards finding order in chaos could be interpreted as a psychological artifact rooted in our evolutionary past, where recognizing patterns could have been a matter of survival. Therefore, the belief that there are no coincidences might reflect a more profound, perhaps subconscious, yearning for a universe imbued with intentionality and…

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Janice Konstantinidis
Janice Konstantinidis

Written by Janice Konstantinidis

I am a lover of fine cheese, my dogs, my garden, knitting, photography, writing and more!