Coincidence Theory

I'd never noticed the term "coincidence theorist" before both sau and warszawa used it in the last couple of threads.

I was immediately struck by the oddness of its meaning. Attaching a theory to coincidences is an accusation I'd lay at the door of our resident conspironumpties - not the cynics who fail to be taken in by their bad reasoning.

References to the term "coincidence theorist" indicate that this isn't the case and that conspironumpties do consider the term to mean the opposite of "conspiracy theory" - hence the quote that appears in the introduction of Hecht's "Conspiracy and the State of the Union".

To reason that coincidence and conspiracy are opposites would be to reason that the evidence one which the theories are based is accurate and that the only difference between them is the existence of a guiding hand.

Whereas the problem with "conspiracy theories" is that the evidence on which they are based seems more often than not a fabrication which doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

I'd argue that the opposite of a "conspiracy theory" is straightforward rational enquiry.

But the problem with rational enquiry for the conspironumpties is that it can't be relied upon to prove what you desire to be true.

[originally posted here.]