“ Coincidences, in general, are great stumbling-blocks in the way of that class of thinkers who have been educated to know nothing of the theory of probabilities—that theory to which the most glorious objects of human research are indebted for the most glorious of illustration. ”
Edgar Allan Poe, The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841). copy citation
| Author | Edgar Allan Poe |
|---|---|
| Source | The Murders in the Rue Morgue |
| Topic | coincidences probabilities |
| Date | 1841 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Tales_(Poe)/The_Murders_in_the_Rue_Morgue |
Context
“Coincidences ten times as remarkable as this (the delivery of the money, and murder committed within three days upon the party receiving it), happen to all of us every hour of our lives, without attracting even momentary notice. Coincidences, in general, are great stumbling-blocks in the way of that class of thinkers who have been educated to know nothing of the theory of probabilities—that theory to which the most glorious objects of human research are indebted for the most glorious of illustration. In the present instance, had the gold been gone, the fact of its delivery three days before would have formed something more than a coincidence. It would have been corroborative of this idea of motive.”
source
Meaning and analysis
