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‘is astrology a science or pseudoscience?’ studies on topic
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In this paper, I will argue that Astrology is not a science or a pseudoscience by critically assessing different points many philosophers such as Paul Thagard, Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn have made on what a pseudoscience is to asses Astrology, which is the study of the positions and relationships the moon, stars, sun, and planets in order to judge its influence on human actions. I will also use examples of past studies that support my stance. The only plausible reason that seems to support astrology as a science is the fact that astrology uses the scientific method. The scientific method was developed by many philosophers and scientists including Lakatos, Popper, Kuhn and Einstein. It consists of many trials of observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and verification to prove a given theory. As you may or may not know, astrology focuses on observing the location of the planets and the sun as well as their effect on people; this is the groundwork for astrological charts and thus satisfies the first condition of the scientific method. …show more content…
French statistician Michel Gauquelin sent the horoscope of a French mass murderer to one hundred and fifty people and asked them how well it was suited to them; about 94% of them recognized themselves in the description. The actual verification of astrology may be difficult to achieve mostly because of how vague and generalized the readings are. Not only that, but while, astrology isn’t irrefutable, it has many ways around it. There can be many reasons for an astrological reading to go wrong, whether the astrologist made a mistake or the person getting a reading lied about their birth date. The long list of excuses however, doesn’t disprove astrology and there is no conceivable way for a controlled test to be taken. It is because of how easy it is for the “hypothesis” for astrology, can be explained that causes Kuhn and Popper to claim it irrational as well as its
Wood, J. M., Nezworski, M. T., Lilienfeld, S.O., & Garb, H.N. (2003). The Rorschach Inkblot test, fortune tellers, and the cold reading. Skeptical Inquirer,
Campion, N. "Prophecy, Cosmology And The new Age Movement: The Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief In Astrology".(PhD Thesis, Bath Spa University College 2004)
Religion and Science are two conflicting forces that guide our rationality and our beliefs. Science takes a more practical and concrete approach to finding the answers to our questions through testing and evidence. Religion is centered on our minds and human spirituality and finding answers to things from our own perspective and ideology. However different they may be they serve the same purpose in our society; it is a means to answer some of the burning questions that we do not have answers to. The short story, “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke plays on the idea of the two vastly different ideas and intertwining and portraying the narrator as both a scientific and religious figure. The narrator firmly believes that the two ideas are truly connected but faces a revelation and that forces him to rethink about his ideology.
The basic astrological assumptions are not hard to grasp. For if astronomy is the study of the movements of the heavenly bodies, then astrology is the study of the effects of those movements. The astronomers of the ancient world assumed a division of the universe whereby the superior, immutable bodies of the celestial worlds ruled over the terrestrial or sublunary sphere, where all was mortality and change. It was assumed that the stars had special qualities and influences which were transmitted downwards upon the passive earth, and which varied in their effect, according to the changing relationship of the heavenly bodies to each other. They were led to postulate a single system in which the seven moving stars or planet shifted their position in relation to the earth and each other, against a fixed backcloth of the twelve signs of the zodiac. There is nothing obscure about these general assumptions.
The starry night sky is a vast and beautiful realm that appears every night. It has fascinated humanity since the dawn of time. Coupled with our wonderful gifts of creativity and imagination, the night sky was our ultimate canvas and perhaps the oldest storybook. The sky has provided a place for us to draw mythical creatures and commemorate epic heroes. Our first record of the constellations date to approximately 6000 years old and were written in cuneiform (Coder, 2012). These texts were found in the valley of the Euphrates River and are simple constellations of animals (Coder, 2012). The question is why? It could be that human brain often seeks patterns in randomness. That humanity will see images in the sky to help our brains deal with the unorganized nature of the universe. However, I feel that this sells humanity short. The constellations are much more than the brain grabbing patterns and creating something it recognizes. These groupings of stars and stellar objects now hold our history. We have been passing along the stories of the constellations for thousands of years. After all, the sky is the perfect medium. It can store pictures and help tell stories and lessons that have lasted throughout time. As a small girl I remember vividly the Legend of the Dipper. How the little girl, in search of water for her ill mother, was compassionate on her journey. For her compassion she was rewarded and a reminder of this compassion is fixed in the night's sky (Bennett & Hague, 1995). I never forgot the story, or its message. How could I? That diamond encrusted dipper appears in the sky each night! It is wonderful how the constellations reach across time, culture, and beliefs. The most recognizable constellations usually originate from...
The zodiac calendar is an astrological theory that divides the path that the sun seems to follow around the earth into twelve equal sections, each of which are associated with a sign, a symbol and a personality type. John Gardner embraces this astrological theme in his parallel novel, Grendel, by connecting each of the twelve chapters to its coinciding zodiac.
My whole life I always saw astrology as just a tiny paragraph in the back of my magazine that made silly predictions about my upcoming month in its latest issue. After learning more about astrology and its origins through informational videos and online articles I am so intrigued. I learned that you have a sun sign, which is your zodiac sign that’s most commonly known, but you also have a moon sign, a rising sign and connections to the planets that all stem from something called your birth chart. Your birth chart is unique to each individual and is based off of when and where you were born and how that time and place connects to the universe and it’s relation to the planets. It was so cool to see how intricate and scientific astrology actually is and it was even cooler to be able to see how that all applies to my zodiac sign and how that relates to my personality, life and relationships with my friends and family. I don’t think it will be something I will commonly use but I did enjoy learning more about it and being able to gain a better appreciation for it and it’s concepts. I think the people who truly believe in astrology or who apply it to their every day lives most likely really enjoy making connections about things and learning more about themselves and those around
The nature of reality is a perennial topic in metaphysics because it has no fundamental constituents (Kant & Abbott, 2012). Additionally, differentiating what’s real from unreal can be one of the most daunting tasks for the humans. Nonetheless, I have found myself on several occasions wondering if superstitions are real, especially the superstition about black cats as bad omens. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that this is not real because I own a black cat and it’s not a bad omen.
Astrology is basically a numerical message that is read based upon the degree of the sun at birth. It is not the basic signs and suns that people commonly associate it with (Marks, 2013). According to Marks, Astrology is basically consistent of three components: the houses, the signs, and the planets. Marks wrote that each planet has a function, with each sign effecting how that planet is functioning, and each house illustrating where each planet is working the most. Astrologist read horoscopes in many different ways with the simplest being associating the date of birth with the persons life (Grabianowski, 2001). This form of horoscope reading is called sun-sign studying. It is the simplest way and can be found in a daily newspaper. Grabianowski also stated that the sign of the sun at conception is not to be considered when reading/identifying a person’s horoscope. He stated that the degree of the sun at the child’s birth will be the zodiac sign. There are many different methods and theories about Astrology that have contributed to its research. Dating back to the Babylonians Astrology has had a great impact on people and the way they live t...
I don’t remember if someone told me, or if I looked it up, if I saw it in a book, I can’t remember. But I do remember reading that Leo’s were these strong, dominant, powerful signs. Growing up I was always told I was bossy, that I took charge, and that I never would let others do what they wanted, it was always about me. That right there just swept me by my feet and I was just stuck into horoscopes because I felt that the Leo sign was really me. I would look up horoscopes’ and see if they would relate to that day. I would enjoy to read the weekly horoscopes because it was like they predict or foreshadow what situations you may face. But not only did they tell you that, but they would give minor advice about how you should handle these situations. And that to me was a bonus since you have this bonus shot at preventing something or either making things worse. It was like you were two steps ahead of the game. There isn’t anything wrong with
Another interpretation of this definition is the prediction of a person’s personality and life events based on the placement of stars. “’Astrology wants to be religion and science at the same time” (Schoener). Whether Astrology is a real science or a theory based on lies is a widely debated topic among many people, ranging from well-established scientists to everyday citizens.... ... middle of paper ...
My belief is that the nature of our behavior is based on astronomy; hence the reason that people who share the same zodiac sign have very similar characteristics, and sometimes a combination of people with certain zodiac signs cannot get along or are very compatible. Sometimes I can tell from a person’s sign because of their behavior, and likes and dislikes. Learning more about astrology and the zodiac signs helps us to understand people and their actions. Many argue that it is coincidence, but the odds are too high to be that.
Modern day astrology is meant to be a philosophy to put into detail different aspects of life instead of predicting the future. (www.astrology.net/about.html, p.2) Astrology has been the stuff that has brought people together. (www.astrology.net/about.html, p.2) It explains the power that people contain in their lives. (www.astrology.net/about.html, p.2)
Horoscopes have always been an iffy subject throughout my life. From the first time I found out about them and to do this day, I have always been intrigued by them. However, to be completely honest, I couldn’t really tell you that I believe in them all that much. They have always had this confusing, very vague tone to their message (Vague? SHOCKING I know). This always led me to the assumption that there’s literally no way for someone to guess how your day (year, month, or whatever type of horoscope you looked at) will go according to the position of extraterrestrial balls of fire in the sky. I may be oversimplifying the whole process of predicting the future, but on the surface this whole scheme seems a bit fishy…
All humans believe in the existence of connections or relationships between things. This is not something which can be proven or proven false (to use Popper’s test). That things consistently follow each other does not prove they are related in any objective, “real”, manner – except in our minds. This belief in some order (if we define order as permanent relations between separate physical or abstract entities) permeates both Science and Superstition. They both believe that there must be – and is – a connection between things out there.