Dr. Evans: We might go a little further into some of your recent works in this area which many consider quite profound,
but are not too well known to many of our students.
Dr. Jung: Of course not.
Nobody in the general public actually reads these things.
Of course, my books are at least sold.
Dr. Evans: To be more specific, I’m referring to the concept, synchronicity, which you have discussed, and which has some relevance at this
point in our discussion. Would you care to comment on synchronicity?
Dr. Jung: That is awfully complicated.
One wouldn’t know where to begin.
Of course, this kind of thinking started long ago, and when Rhine brought out his results, I thought,
“Now we have at least a more or less dependable basis to argue on.”
But the argument has not been understood at all, because it is really very difficult.
When you observe the unconscious, you will come across plenty of cases which show a very peculiar kind of parallel events.
For example, I have a certain thought of a certain definite subject which is occupying my attention and my interest;
and at the same time, something else happens, quite independently, that portrays just that thought.
This is utter nonsense, you know, looked at from a causal point of view.
However, that there is something else to it which is not nonsense is made evident by the results of Rhine’s experiments.
There is a probability; it is something more than chance that such a case occurs.
I never made statistical experiments except one in the way of Rhine.
I made one for another purpose.
But I have come across quite a number of cases where it was most astounding to find that two causal chains
happened at the same time, but independent of each other, so that you could say they had nothing to do with each other.
It’s really quite clear.
For instance, I speak of a red car and at that moment a red car comes here.
Now I haven’t seen the red car, because it wasn’t possible; it was hidden behind the building until just this
moment when it suddenly appeared.
Now many would say that this is an example of mere chance, but the Rhine experiment proves
that these cases are not mere chance.
Now it would be superstitious and false to say, “This car has appeared because here were some remarks
made about a red car; it is a miracle that a red car has appeared.”
It is not a miracle; it is just chance—but these chances happen more often than chance allows.
That shows that there is something behind it.
Rhine has a whole institute, many co-workers, and has the means.
We have no means here to make such experiments; otherwise, I probably would have done them.
Here it is just physically impossible, so I have to content myself with the observation of facts!! ~Carl Jung, Evans Conversations, Pages 33-34.
