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Is Astrology a science?

Is Astrology a science?

  • Astrology is a science.

  • Astrology is not a science.


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Hans Blaster

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So they should be burned? Seems a bit excessive for promulgating nonsense devoid of power and meaning.
 
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Quid est Veritas?

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It is a bit difficult to explain the nitty-gritty of a hypothetical? But that is not the essence of Astrology. I put it as predicting temperament or events by the stars, which if you can use those stars to determine how matter acts in forming planets and the situation that will then form on said planet, why not? Historically Astrology did not have a cause and effect relationship at all, but rather the stars were merely signs of events on earth - the sublunary sphere being imperfect and mutable. With our more mechanical minded culture, we would look for some closer relationship, but I see no reason our future astrologer-scientist couldn't hypothesise some form of quantum entanglement between heavenly matter and the earthly ones; or some force acting on it, like gravity. However I was thinking more along the lines of determining the actions of matter by astrophysics and applying it mundanely.

You don't need perfection. None of the Sciences are perfect. We assume how gasses act by drawing a hypothetical Perfect gas from the imperfect expressions of the relationships of other gasses, for instance. You just need sufficient to be able to draw such correlations to make testable hypotheses and have them borne out on occasion. I don't think this feasible today, but I don't think this completely far-fetched in a determinist mindset until reaching a Laplace Demon. Besides, the infatuation with explaining emotions or actions as electro-chemical relations in the body is halfway there already, reducing down to chemistry and physics.
 
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coffee4u

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So they should be burned? Seems a bit excessive for promulgating nonsense devoid of power and meaning.

That was Old Testament Jewish law. We are neither Jewish nor living in 1,300 BC.
The point is that all of these practices where condemned by God and they are still condemned by God.
 
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Bradskii

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That was Old Testament Jewish law. We are neither Jewish nor living in 1,300 BC.

So I guess we can skip the ten commandments as well. Which is something of a relief as I've broken 8 of them.
 
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durangodawood

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Are you saying there might actually be some meaningful and comprehensible relationship between astronomical affairs and the sorts of human affairs that astrologers are concerned with? Because thats what it sounds like.
 
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Hans Blaster

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That was Old Testament Jewish law. We are neither Jewish nor living in 1,300 BC.
The point is that all of these practices where condemned by God and they are still condemned by God.

So then why did you quote the part about burning them in your post:

"But they are like straw burning in a fire; they cannot save themselves from the flame. " if it doesn't apply anymore. (I wouldn't have even replied before if I hadn't seen this line quoted in your post.)
 
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FrumiousBandersnatch

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Laplace's demon could not predict a person's personality or life course from perfect knowledge of astronomical affairs tho.
Yes, that's what I said.

"Even for Laplace's Demon, the astrological parameters at someone's birth would be insufficient to calculate anything useful about life on Earth."
 
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durangodawood

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Yes, that's what I said.

"Even for Laplace's Demon, the astrological parameters at someone's birth would be insufficient to calculate anything useful about life on Earth."
I am failing at being Laplace's demon.
 
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FrumiousBandersnatch

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Laplace's Demon is perfect by definition, because that's what it would take to calculate the position and state of every particle for all time in a deterministic universe. The demon is a thought experiment, not something that could be real.

But of course, you don't need perfection to make approximations. As it happens, there is no evidence for any correlation between astrological indicators and what astrology purports to describe or predict. Nor are there any suitable mechanisms by which such a correlation might arise.

The season of birth might plausibly affect an individual's development, but not the planets, zodiac, or other astronomical events or objects - unless those signs resulted in the individual being treated differently as they developed - a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
 
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durangodawood

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Like feeding cat food to your Leo kids.
 
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ViaCrucis

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As a Gemini I'm in two minds over that comment.

Well this isn't fair, I was going to make this exact same joke. Now I can't. Such a typical Gemini thing to do.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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Ophiolite

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Well this isn't fair, I was going to make this exact same joke. Now I can't. Such a typical Gemini thing to do.

-CryptoLutheran
On the Chinese horoscope, which relates character to year of birth, I am a rat. According to a book I read on the subject decades ago Gemini rats are the super rats of the astrological world. You stood no chance against my ratty super-powers!
 
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ViaCrucis

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On the Chinese horoscope, which relates character to year of birth, I am a rat. According to a book I read on the subject decades ago Gemini rats are the super rats of the astrological world. You stood no chance against my ratty super-powers!

This dog is too tired and lazy to hunt rats, so you win this time.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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durangodawood

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I'm a fire-goat.
Chinese Zodiac: What is the Fire Goat sign and what does it mean?

But yall already knew that..
 
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Sodafox

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I think those charts are as vague as possible that anyone could find traits they share with pretty much any of them. Alternately, depending on when you did the chart or became interested in astrology, you could've started forming your personality on that description. Ex: I started getting interested I think when I was 10 or so. Chinese zodiac around 14. I grew out of it but it still influenced me for years.
 
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bèlla

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Alternately, depending on when you did the chart or became interested in astrology, you could've started forming your personality on that description.

I did it in my thirties. My personality was well formed by then.

~bella
 
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bèlla

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I'm a fire-goat.

But yall already knew that..

I might as well spill the goods. I’m 0 degrees Virgo. A true cusp with Leo rising.

Metal Pig: They enjoy a good friend, good food, good sex, good book, and just plain enjoy life.

Spot on!
 
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