<s>[INST] When discussing an original idea or thought, a listener is often aware of a sense of déjà vu or a recurring theme from a previous work of art, literature, or even a historical event. This phenomenon is due to the fact that:
(a) The mind can only absorb and store original thoughts.
(b) The historical and cultural knowledge is so profoundly ingrained in our subconscious that any new idea is bound to echo some previous concept.
(c) The number of unique ideas is infinite, so it's impossible to identify any recurring themes.
(d) The subconscious mind is capable of accessing information from any point in history.

Option (b) is correct. 
 
It is a common experience for most people to encounter ideas — some profound, other frivolous — that, at first blush, seem novel but ultimately turn out to be an echo, however faint, of a theme seen, read, or heard about previously. We see it when reading literature: how many love stories can be boiled down to a variation on the Cyrano de Bergerac theme; how many tales of heroism are retreads of the Achilles' heel myth. We also experience this in art, where styles and techniques get reinterpreted with each new generation. Furthermore, the history books are replete with people who have reinvented the wheel, and found themselves the unwitting recipients of the phrase 'there is nothing new under the sun' (Ecclesiastes 1:9), which means that history has a tendency to repeat itself, including ideas. As for what's driving this, psychological research suggests what is going on here is that our subconscious mind is drawing parallels between our experiences, histories, cultural backgrounds, and the learning we've accumulated, and fusing them with our own perceptions and thoughts to create what we feel are new ideas. Therefore, even the most seemingly novel ideas can be reducible to themes and concepts that have already been developed and expressed previously. This is option (b).[/INST]