By Kyle Rubin, VI Form

Newton’s Law of Synchronicity?

Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion, which reads, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” can be applied outside of the scientific realm and into the philosophical realm in that every action is done for a reason. With this in mind, synchronicity exists in that one thing can provide context for another, whether they have a direct correlation or not.

Synchronicity provides context for how or why some things occur. It explains how two things, whether physical or conceptual, may seem related even though they have no discernable connection. Newton’s third law of motion covers similar bases to synchronicity, in that the third law gives insight into the opposing side of an action. Newton provides the reason for why a reaction will happen, similar to how synchronicity describes why events appear similar even though they may not be explained by conventional standards.
An endless number of possibilities of connections exist between two entities, whether they are tangible or not. No distinction of how certain or important the relationship between events determines the connection between them, which can create this endless amount of links. How or why these links occur can always be calculated in probability, no matter how abstract or how simple the event is. A one in a billion chance can happen eventually, which is one of the joys of chance. Probability is the mathematical evaluation of the likelihood something will occur or not, the likelihood that a certain reaction will result from a specific action. A number of reactions derive from the same action, and this is what creates that probability.

Determining precisely why a certain reaction will come from its corresponding action in most circumstances is nearly impossible, but that does not void the fact that the law exists. A situation when two events seem connected but have no traditional correspondences (such as when you accidentally run into someone you were just thinking about) still maintains probabilities and thus a distinct relation to Newton’s third law. What most would describe as inexplicable can be explained through Newton’s third law of motion, specifically through probabilities.

“For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction” is a statement that almost every science student has heard before in his or her life, but not often are its implications examined outside of the scientific realm. The beauty of philosophy is that ideas can come from all aspects of academia, as well as other parts of life. When concepts are then combined to create multiple opinions on a subject, that is when one begins to realize the power of meaning, by exploring it through non-standard means. Through this understanding, Newton’s third law provides a variety of more understandings than what may be typically believed. Finally, the notion of how probabilities work based on Newton’s law provides reasoning to why every situation can be explained, as every action has an equal and opposite reaction that occurs because of that primary action, no matter how complex or simple it was.

Kyle Rubin is a VI Former from Wayland, MA. He enjoys playing soccer and golf.