Luck
concept that defines the experience of notably positive, negative, or improbable events
Luck is a phenomenon or belief that humans may associate with experiencing improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative events.
Philosophical naturalism, eschewing any supernatural explanations, might suggest that positive or negative events may happen at any time (due to both random and non-random natural and artificial processes), and that even improbable events can happen by random chance.
In this view, the epithet "lucky" or "unlucky" is a descriptive label that refers to an event's positivity, negativity, or improbability.
Supernatural interpretations of luck consider it to be an attribute of a person
or of an object, or the result of a favorable (or unfavorable) view manifested by a deity
towards the lucky (or unlucky) person.
These interpretations often prescribe how luckiness or unluckiness can be obtained, such as by carrying a lucky charm or offering sacrifices or prayers to a deity. Saying someone is "born lucky" may hold different meanings, depending on the interpretation: it could simply mean that they have been born into a good family or circumstance; or that they habitually experience improbably positive events, due to some inherent property, or due to the lifelong favor of a god or goddess in a monotheistic or polytheistic religion.
Many superstitions are associated with luck,
Such superstitions are often specific to a given culture
or set of related cultures. For example, lucky symbols include the number 7 in Christian-influenced cultures and the number 8 in Chinese-influenced cultures. Unlucky symbols and events include entering and leaving a house by different doors or breaking a mirror in Greek culture, throwing rocks into a whirlwind in Navajo culture, and ravens in Western culture. Some of these associations may derive from related facts or desires.
The public source identifies “Luck” as concept that defines the experience of notably positive, negative, or improbable events. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Luck, concept and defines.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Luck”, the useful work is to connect “concept that defines the experience of notably positive, negative, or improbable events” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1970348. The Library of Congress control number is sh85050990. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Luck”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Luck primary sources, Luck archive and Luck research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Luck”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Luck” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.