What are the principles on which astrology rests?

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The discussion centers around the classification of astrology as pseudoscience and its foundational principles. Participants explore the axioms of astrology, questioning how celestial bodies can influence human behavior and personality. Key claims of astrology include its ability to reveal individual strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies based on planetary positions at birth. However, skepticism arises regarding the scientific validity of these claims, with arguments highlighting the lack of consistent results and the reliance on subjective interpretations.Astrology is described as a tool for self-reflection rather than a predictive science, with proponents arguing that it offers insights into psychological tendencies. Critics counter that astrology lacks empirical support and cannot be considered a scientific theory due to its inconsistent results and reliance on personal bias. The conversation also touches on the historical context of astrology and astronomy, emphasizing the separation of the two fields following the scientific revolution. Ultimately, the debate reflects broader questions about the nature of belief, the interpretation of psychological profiles, and the validity of astrology as a meaningful practice.
  • #51
Originally posted by selfAdjoint
I presume he means the "moon sign books" used by some farmers and fisherment. But to assert "accuracy" he should be able to site specific controlled experiments showing them to be accurate. For example give fake moon sign books - with different numbers - to a random sample of fishermen, and the regular books to another random sample of the same size. Then see of there was any statistically meaningful difference between the fishing success (defined by some objective criterion) of the two groups.

I'll bet he can't do that. It's just the usual phony spin.

I am sure of that, but the problem is that a good "moon sign book" actually takes real facts into account, as for instance to consider the rain fallen in an area during winter or the quantity of snow accumulated. This mix of science and pseudoscience is a most difficoultous thing to debunk.
 
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  • #52
Oh and for those wanting references for the study and other critiques go here:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/resources/pseudobib.html#1 [/B]

wanted to bump this up again...i checked this link, and again, another astronomer misinformed...the article claims that the planets affect us, when astrologists do not make that claim whatsoever...

also, the article claims that the sun passes through the constellations and this is a part of astrology-not so, it is the Earth's ecliptic passing through 12 houses and the position of the planets in relation to this 12 sections that is analyzed...

this information provided by astronomers who haven't taken the time to truly understand astrology dooms it automatically...
 
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