Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Same reason we're also not talking about the ten million non-coincidences that didn't seem to happen today. It's a kind of survivorship bias that coincidences seem like they mean something.

Or you could imagine it as this: your animal brain has evolved to notice patterns. Seeing coincidences like this is akin to seeing faces in the stars. The challenge of evolved being is to override those impulses when they're not logically sound.



Sure. But if millions of evolved brains are "seeing the same pattern", they will behave as such, and so the meaning of that otherwise random noise in fact becomes something material.


And that’s why conspiracy nuts exist.


It's also, you know, a foundation of behavioral economics. But either one, whatever.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: