Coincidence ?

Fuzzy Clam

Not sure where this belongs but here seems as good a place as any...

With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic coming up, I was reminded of a story of a fictional book about a ship named Titan which was published 14 years before the Titanic sank.
Whatever I think about coincidences, the similarities are uncanny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futility,_or_the_Wreck_of_the_Titan

Rasmus

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

Not sure where this belongs but here seems as good a place as any...

With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic coming up, I was reminded of a story of a fictional book about a ship named Titan which was published 14 years before the Titanic sank.
Whatever I think about coincidences, the similarities are uncanny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futility,_or_the_Wreck_of_the_Titan

When I read the book I remember thinking that the similarities were amazing but still not uncanny enough to render further investigation or analysis - on my part anyway.

A lot of ships were like that though and possibly many of the same problems could have been envisioned. Maybe there is even a lot to be said about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Saying that, it has been years and I don't remember details.

Tin Foil Hat

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

Not sure where this belongs but here seems as good a place as any...

With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic coming up, I was reminded of a story of a fictional book about a ship named Titan which was published 14 years before the Titanic sank.
Whatever I think about coincidences, the similarities are uncanny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futility,_or_the_Wreck_of_the_Titan

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_sharpshooter_fallacy

maccored

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_sharpshooter_fallacy

I either respectfully disagree, or else I misunderstand this:

"What one cannot do is use the same information to construct and test the same hypothesis (see hypotheses suggested by the data) — to do so would be to commit the Texas sharpshooter fallacy."

... considering the 'construct' in this case is the book, and the 'test' is the titantic. Those are two different sets of information, and therefore wouldn't qualify as the texas sharpshooter fallacy.

Tin Foil Hat

maccored wrote: »

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_sharpshooter_fallacy

I either respectfully disagree, or else I misunderstand this:

"What one cannot do is use the same information to construct and test the same hypothesis (see hypotheses suggested by the data) — to do so would be to commit the Texas sharpshooter fallacy."

... considering the 'construct' in this case is the book, and the 'test' is the titantic. Those are two different sets of information, and therefore wouldn't qualify as the texas sharpshooter fallacy.

To be fair, I should have linked to a better page.

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/09/11/the-texas-sharpshooter-fallacy/

viadah

Nice link.

Might it be too dumbed down to say the name 'Titan' is nice and big-sounding, as is 'Titanic'. Yes, the actual ship sank, coincidence, yes, but humans like great big-sounding words without paying scrutiny to them (George Bush's 'crusade' for example). If the fictional boat had gone on a merry cruise arriving in time for a lovely reception, tea and champagne, ball room dancing after an uneventful yet bracing journey across the Atlantic, would it have been a memorable book? And if the actual 'Titanic' had done the same would that situation be heralded as an example of precognitive events?

Fuzzy Clam

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

To be fair, I should have linked to a better page.

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/09/11/the-texas-sharpshooter-fallacy/

Also mentioned in that link are the Lincoln/Kennedy murders.
To add to the coincidences already mentioned;
Lincoln was elected 1860, Kennedy 1960.
Both assassins were themselves assassinated.

viadah

But to add to the disparities, Lincoln was killed by a normal bullet, Kennedy was killed by a Hogwarts one.

WAKE UP SHEEPLE ETC. ETC.

maccored

wake up to what exactly? Hyperintelligence, like those that like to tell us to 'wake up sheeple?'

viadah

I thought 'hogwarts' and 'SHEEPLE' would intone sarcasm.

Fuzzy Clam

viadah wrote: »

I thought 'hogwarts' and 'SHEEPLE' would intone sarcasm.

Fail. I know they refer to some kiddies book but what relevance is it here.

viadah

The relevance of sarcasm in the face of certain tenuous beliefs? That'd be obvious, more obvious than intonation on a web forum, and about equally as obvious of the futility of getting into a flaming argument on the forum I'd have thought. My apologies. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

Major Lovechild

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

Whoever said that was being sarcastic.

viadah

Ssssshhhh...

Anyway, as for coincidences, did ya hear the one about Kennedy Space Station being on a latitude shared by a remote spot in Iraq and the no-fly zone?

http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/forum/index.php?id=15771