Sheratan Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Hi, This is my first post to the forum. Anyone interrested in my testimony, it can be found in the submissions. I think there are more than enough studies that sufficietly debunk astrology. Grant Edwards posted quite an impressive list to sci.skeptic back in 1992. Also there was a nice study by the Dutch foundation of skeptics. Finally I have a few beefs with the workings of astrology. First, the stars in the zodiacal constellations have nothing in common except for their angular proximity from the viewpoint of the Earth. Secondly the real dates that the Sun enters and leaves the zodiacal constellations is skimmed in relation to the astrological dates due to the precession of the Earths axis. Thirdly the constellation Ophiuchus is disregarded by astrologers while the Sun spends more time in Ophiuchis than it does in Scorpio. Fourth, what is so special about the time of birth? Isn't the time of conception more of interrest in the lifecycle of a human being? Lastly, the distance of e.g. Mars is of no value to astrologers. Only the astrological constellation it's in (determined by the date) and the "house" it's in (detremined by the time of day) are considered. The distance of Mars when it's close to Earth (when in opposition to the Sun) campared to when it's away from Earth (in conjunction with the Sun) is appoximately seven-fold! I would expect the effects of a close Mars to be 49 times as strong as a far-away Mars. Regards, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 In my younger days I was quite interested in astrology although I never did figure out how it could work. (My knowledge of astronomy overruled any attempt to assign causative qualities to distant celestial bodies.) At one point my library of astrology texts was very impressive indeed. The hardest part of drawing up a chart is not the grunt work of parking all the planets at the right spots and figuring out the angular relationships... It's the interpretation of the resulting data. And that's the place where you cross into the Wonderful World of Intuition. IMHO, an astrologer staring at a chart is no different than someone looking at a table full of Tarot cards and doing a stream-of-consciousness interpretation of what it all means. Jungian collective unconscious? Prior-knowledge bias, if you happen to personally know the subject of the reading? Generic advice, as in the classroom of people with identical horoscopes? All of the above? (shrugs) Nonetheless... Astrology is probably the most labour-intensive way of providing people with motivation for Things they Know They Should Be Doing Anyway. (grabs rune bag, pulls out piece of wood, is satisfied with answer she gets) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxyroze Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Hi, This is my first post to the forum. Anyone interrested in my testimony, it can be found in the submissions. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadouKen24 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I got this chart from this site: http://www.astrology-and-science.com/ In their article: "The case for and against astrology" It's not exactly your study, but similar. Very useful link, skepticjoe. Thanks for pointing it out to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celsus Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 Personally, I find lookig at chicken guts to be much more accurate. Seriously, what the hell is the need for some people to grasp onto superstitious nonsense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellincoffee Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 I read mine sometimes to be amused by what it says. The horoscopes work the same way -- just a lot of hit and miss information. (Misinformation? Heh.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 I read mine for entertainment, but take it with a grain of salt. They are generally advice that can apply to anyone, regardless of what your sign is. For example, my horoscope from Yahoo horoscopes for today: If you want the new plans you're making to succeed, you need to do more than devote yourself to hours of wishful thinking or positive visualization. It's time for action. Make the phone calls, write the emails and pay some special visits to the people who can help you finalize your plans and make this thing happen! You can't do this on your own, no matter how capable (and on fire!) you are right now. You feel powerful -- and you are powerful -- but this should be a collaboration. That advice could apply to anyone. It's decent advice -- you don't get anywhere by just sitting on your rear end -- but still, it's really generalized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Does any read their horoscope? Nah, besides that my sign really doesn't fit me at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 I read it for fun..when I think about it. I get it in email everyday, but half the time I forget to check my email.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramen666 Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Yeah right when I became an Ex Christian I read them some of them are right sometimes because heck its something different. . My friend who is fundie told me he was afraid to read them because if they happend to be right , he could get addicted to it and fall from God. All I said " And that affects me how..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeydid Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 I find them amusing, but not particularly useful. For one more interesting article on astrology I would suggest http://www.skepdic.com/astrolgy.html The whole site is full of useful information various superstitions and bits of quackery and the debunking of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgnosticBob AtheistPants Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 genesis, there is nothing wrong with taking an interest in astrology. I personally don't know much about it, although I always read the horoscorpe in 'The Onion'. http://www.theonion.com/content/node/45134 OMG! How right ON my Onion horoscope is! Aquarius January 20 - February 18The stars understand that faith is difficult in the modern world, but trust them when they tell you that the derivative of a constant is always zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 Hi, I'm new to this forum... and I hope I qualify to be here..... I was born an Atheist. They tried to make me a catholic, an Irish catholic! I was lucky, or smart, and it didn't work. About astrology.... well..... it's just another religion I do not believe in. There is not one shred of empirical evidence to support anything to do with it. I cannot understand why anyone in this modern era would believe in it..... but then I feel the same about any other religion. There is no way the position of the stars and planets could effect anything having to do with your personality or life events. Reality just don't work that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 In my younger days I learned how to calculate astrological charts. As I struggled to interpret them I noticed that there's an inherent confirmation bias at work: You tend to notice the things you agree with, and any anomalies you note run the risk of becoming self-fulfilling prophesies. "Gee, I have Saturn in my first house and the moon in the second house. That explains why I'm shy and my money situation's so unstable." I have yet to see a credible explanation of how these things are supposed to work. However, the dailies in the paper make for fun reading and may occasionally be inspirational. Especially these haiku horoscopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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