ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide some of the issues that may help both proponents and critics evaluate the predominant evidence available so far, namely studies based on a modest number of cases or even simple examples. The rarity of winners is a function of the large number of possible combinations that exist relative to the total number of tickets that one can purchase. The Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak and lottery winner’s examples both illustrate how a distribution of outcomes can be understood, but its explanation has only modest relevance in accounting for the individuals. The distinction drawn between an explanation of the distribution of outcomes and an explanation of the specific outcomes for specific units is also applicable for events which are not rare. Consider the distribution of grades given by a professor who moves from a university, with exceptionally gifted and dedicated students, to one with a less inspired student body.
