23 enigma

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Robert Anton Wilson cites William S. Burroughs as the first person to believe in the 23 enigma.[1] Wilson, in an article in Fortean Times, related the following anecdote:


In literature[edit]

The 23 enigma can be seen in:

The text titled Principia Discordia claims that "All things happen in fives, or are divisible by or are multiples of five, or are somehow directly or indirectly appropriate to 5"[3]—this is referred to as the Law of Fives. The 23 enigma is regarded as a corollary of the Law of Fives because 2 + 3 = 5.


As with most numerological claims, the 23 enigma can be viewed as an example of apophenia, selection bias, and confirmation bias. In interviews, Wilson acknowledged the self-fulfilling nature of the 23 enigma, implying that the real value of the Law of Fives and the 23 enigma is in their demonstration of the mind's ability to perceive "truth" in nearly anything.


In the Illuminatus! Trilogy, Wilson expresses the same view, saying that one can find numerological significance in anything, provided that one has "sufficient cleverness."

In popular culture[edit]

  • Industrial music group Throbbing Gristle recounted in great detail the meeting of Burroughs and Captain Clark and the significance of the number 23 in the ballad "The Old Man Smiled."[5]
  • The 2016 competitive game Overwatch contains a character, Sombra, who is heavily tied to the number 23.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ "Going loco over 'El Becko'"
  2. ^ Robert Anton Wilson on the "23 Phenomena" Archived September 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Principia Discordia, pg. 23
  5. ^ Benecke, Mark (2011). "The Numerology of 23". Skeptical Inquirer. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. 35 (3): 49–53.