Can some artists predict the future?

The other day I was re-reading one of my favorite books, and came across a passage that startled me. I hadn’t given it any special notice before, but now it stood out as though the letters were written in red ink:

“’Now, dates don’t mean much on the beach, but I keep a calendar. And it may interest you to know that the date is September the 11th.’ As a matter of fact, it interested me a lot to hear that the date was September 11, because it meant it was close to five months since I’d left England. I was surprised that it interested everyone else to the extent that it did. There was a ripple of exclamations around me, and someone whistled.” The Beach Alex Garland, page 270.

So what’s the big deal, you’re asking? Well, for starters, the book was published in 1997. Then there’s the fact that the novel, if you haven’t read it or seen the movie, concerns a remote, idyllic society that descends into bloodshed. The titular beach is a metaphor for people who live in ignorance and isolation of the real world, escaping into drugs and video games, until the real world visits them with ugly brutality and death, on September 11th.

From the context of the passage, we learn that the reason people are so interested in the date is because it is the Tet holiday, and the anniversary of the first three people finding the beach and beginning to establish the colony.

It’s a coincidence, you say. The author picked a day at random, or it was his dog’s birthday or something. And that’s certainly possible. But I have read a lot of fiction, and I know for a fact that setting specific dates is not done too often, for the simple reason that it forces the story to take place during certain years, and this is not always desirable or convenient for the author. Yes, there are some books, such as techno or spy thrillers, where the date is very important, and they will start each chapter with the date and the location that the chapter is taking place. But to call attention to a specific date in the middle of the text is highly unusual.

Now, I am not saying that Alex Garland, the writer, was somehow privy to secret knowledge of a conspiracy to commit acts of terror and wrote about it in his fiction. For starters, it’s about an island, not planes crashing into buildings. That would be a lot more amazing of a prediction. But it does seem that, like many film makers, musicians, and writers, Mr. Garland seems to have tapped into some zeitgeist while searching for inspiration.

So here’s the theory: there are some events in human history that are so large, so influential that they send out “shock waves” through time and space that are picked up by “sensitives,” or people that are tuned into different wavelengths than the rest of us. The artists do not get some kind of prophetic message dictated to them, but have certain feelings about certain details that find their way into their work. Once the event occurs, it seems as though they had some kind of foreknowledge of the event.

I don’t propose to understand how such a thing could even take place in any kind of scientifically verifiable fashion. But I do know that there have been some pretty amazing “predictions” in the past, made by artists who claimed no psychic ability. There was a novel that came out years before the Titanic was built, a book which eerily predicted that ship’s fate, with absolutely stunning detail. In the book, the ship was called The Titan.

Interesting theory. And as it's in Skunk works I'll resist the smartarse one word 'No' answer.

The problem I have with incidents like this, it ignores every time something doesn't happen. To focus on one date in one book, is to ignore every other date in every other book which didn't fit. That make sense? You find what you want to find ignoring everything else that doesn't fit. There's even a word for it. Can't remember it. begins with a P.

To paraphrase Tim Minchin to assume your 1 million to 1 event is a miracle is to seriously underestimate the number of things.

Though the counterargument to that not everyone is tuned in to it I suppose.

It's cool if you believe this, obviously I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, but that's my issue. Interesting though.

reply to post by Snsoc


It was a 1 in ~366, it was a chance match. Coincidences are rare if they exist at all, random events should align randomly (probabilities).

The date is may have been set due to the disparity intended between Sumer, location and setting (beach) nothing more...

9/11 was not even a very special event (generally speaking), it was not even a turning point in human experience, like for instance the use of nuclear weapons, if at all we should be amazed on how things continued in the same path they were already fallowing. No drastic changes, business as usual, it was a mere hiccup in world history. It was extremely predictable by past events and the policies fallowed. Due to how insignificant meaningful changes resulted, chances for escalation just increased, if there is a next time it will be worst. If anything it seems only to have expedited the loss of freedom in the US and a move forward towards an Orwellian future.

An Orwellian America
The United Bases Of America And The Paradox Of Imperialism

That means the Mona lisa is the next anti christ!!! ahhh!!! Hide me!!

No, I think its pure coincidence.

Unless they get most art works correct. Then maybe. But creativity is always a good thing interms of what may be. Some do get what happens - correct via their art work.

Leonardo di vinci was thought to be quite prophetic artistically. Interms of what will be.

But then he was a genius as well.

reply to post by Snsoc


I think sci-fi films are particulary predictive. I really do see one day flying cars in the sky

Originally posted by khimbar
Interesting theory. And as it's in Skunk works I'll resist the smartarse one word 'No' answer.

The problem I have with incidents like this, it ignores every time something doesn't happen. To focus on one date in one book, is to ignore every other date in every other book which didn't fit. That make sense? You find what you want to find ignoring everything else that doesn't fit. There's even a word for it. Can't remember it. begins with a P.

To paraphrase Tim Minchin to assume your 1 million to 1 event is a miracle is to seriously underestimate the number of things.

Though the counterargument to that not everyone is tuned in to it I suppose.

It's cool if you believe this, obviously I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, but that's my issue. Interesting though.

You're talking about "confirmation bias," and yes, that is certainly a strong possibility. I would challenge you, though. Go and pick 10 fiction books from the last 15 years, and see how many have specific dates in the text of the book.

I'm not sure I believe it either, but I think it's a third alternative to the "artists were in on 9/11" and "it's just a coincidence...hundreds of times" arguments, neither of which I find satisfying.

That Illuminati card game came true.
atruthsoldier.wordpress.com...