In any sufficiently powerful logical system statements can
be formulated which can neither be proved nor disproved
within the system, unless possibly the system itself is
inconsistent.
Godel's Theorem as stated by Alan Turing.
Mulder: Whatever happened to playing a hunch, Scully? The element
of surprise, random acts of unpredictabilty? If we fail to anticipate
the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite
possibilites, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or
anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced.
[Pops a sunflower seed into his mouth.] What are we doing up here,
Scully? It's hotter than hell.
-- Chris Carter. movie, The X-Files (1998)
How often have I said to you that when you have
eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must
be the truth?
-- Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes in
The Sign of The Four Chapter 6
The idea was fantastically, wildly improbable. But like most
fantasically, wildly improbable ideas it was at least as worthy of
consideration as a more mundane one to which the facts had been
strenusously bent to fit.
-- Douglas Adams. Dirk Gently
in The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul p.156
The unexpected and the incredible belong in this world. Only then is
life whole.
-- C. G. Jung "Retrospect" in Memories, Dreams,
Reflections. (1963) p. 356.
Tertullian (one of the founders of the Catholic Church) was born
in Carthage somewhere about 160 A.D. He was a pagan, and he
abandoned himself to the lascivious life of his city until about
his 35th year, when he became a Christian .... To him is ascribed
the sublime confession:
Credo quia absurdum est (I believe because
it is absurd). This does not altogether accord with historical
fact, for he merely said:
"And the Son of God died, which is immediately credible
because it is absurd. And buried he rose again, which is
certain because it is impossible."
Thanks to the acuteness of his mind, he saw through the poverty of
philosophical and Gnostic knowledge, and contemptuously rejected
it.
-- C. G. Jung. Psychological Types.
"...the premise of probability simultaneously postulates the existence of
the improbable."
-- C. J. Jung. Letters (1973) 2:540.
"What was the Sherlock Holmes principle? 'Once you have discounted the
impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the
truth.'"
"I reject that entirely," said Dirk sharply. "The impossible often has
a kind of integrity to it which the merely improbable lacks. How often
have you been presented with an apparently rational explanation of
something that works in all respects other than one, which is just
that it is hopelessly improbable? Your instinct is to say, 'Yes, but
he or she simply wouldn't do that.'"
"Well, it happened to me today, in fact," replied Kate.
"Ah, yes," said Dirk, slapping the table and making the glasses jump.
"Your girl in the wheelchair -- a perfect example. The idea that she
is somehow receiving yesterday's stock market prices apparently out of
thin air is merely impossible, and therefore must be the case,
because the idea that she is maintaining an immensely complex and
laborious hoax of no benefit to herself is hopelessly improbable. The
first idea merely supposes that there is something we don't know
about, and God knows there are enough of those. The second, however,
runs contrary to something fundamental and human which we do know
about. We should therefore be very suspicious of it and all its
specious rationality."
-- Douglas Adams. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988) p.169
The irrational fullness of life has taught me never to discard
anything, even when it goes against all our theories (so short-lived
at best) or otherwise admits of no immediate explanation. It is of
course disquieting, and one is not certain whether the compass is
pointing true or not; but security, certitude, and peace do not lead
to discoveries.