Astrology: Science or Scam?
The Tenets of AstrologyA belief (superstition) that a person's character and destiny can be understood from the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets at the moment of his or her birth. Interpreting the location of these bodies using a chart called the horoscope, astrologers claim to predict and explain the course of life and to help people, companies, and nations with decisions of great import.
The history of Astrology
Astrology is at least thousands of years old and appears in different forms
in many cultures. It arose at a time when humankind's view of the world was
dominated by magic and superstition. Celestial objects seemed in those days
to be either gods, important spirits, or, at the very least, symbols or
representatives of divine personages who spent their time tinkering with
humans' daily lives. People eagerly searched for heavenly signs of what
the gods would do next.
A
1984 Gallup Poll revealed that 55 percent of American teenagers believe
in astrology. And every day thousands of people around the world base
crucial medical, professional, and personal decisions on advice
received from astrologers and astrological publications. Astrology
got a big boost in 1988 when it was revealed that for a large part of
his term, President's Reagan's schedule had been influenced by the
prognostications of a San Francisco astrologer (who had been on Nancy
Reagan's payroll.)
If you believe in astrology then let me ask you:
1) Do you believe one-twelfth of the world's population is having the same kind of day?
2) Why aren't astrologers wealthy (predicting the shift of the stock market, etc)?
3) Why hasn't the discovery of additional planets and the precession of the equinox altered astrological tables? Is it that celestial objects and their relative positions NOW, only those from 2000 years ago, aren't important?
Tests show that it hardly matters what a horoscope says, as long as the subject feels the interpretations were done for him or her personally. A few years ago French statistician Michel Gauquelin sent the horoscope for one of the worst mass murderers in French history to 150 people and asked how well it fit them. Ninety-four percent of the subjects said they recognized themselves in the description.
An extensive website looking into the scientific plausibility of astrology can be found here: www.astrology-and-science.com