Astrology Midterm Paper

According to the TOK book, astronomy is considered a science and astrology a pseudo science. Do you agree? Before I start discussing this statement, we should know what science, pseudo-science and astronomy, astrology really is. Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence. pseudo-science is a concept that is considered to be science but it does not have enough evidence to go along side with it and prove the concept to be right. Astronomy is a science that studies everything outside of the earth's atmosphere, such as planets, stars, asteroids, galaxies; and the properties and relationships of those celestial bodies. Astronomers base their studies on research and observation. Astrology on the other hand,

Astrology is the use of the relative positions of celestial objects to predict events on Earth. It is an ancient field of study, having been in use thousands of years before common era. Cultures around the world had been looking to the skies for forecasts on happenings in their everyday lives long before Europeans began to do so. In Europe, astrology never established itself as a large influence on society until the Renaissance came around, mostly due to the strict Catholic principles that bound people to a particular set of beliefs. Prior to the Renaissance, according to the Encyclopedia of the Renaissance by Paul F. Grendler, astrology was often “condemned as determinist or unreliable or irreligious.” However, as the Renaissance unfolded,

Astrology is fraudulent because not only does where the celestial bodies are not affect anything but astrologers cannot even be certain where they are. Even though astrologers did make a lot of correct predictions they only made correct ones because they made so many some of them had to be correct “That the true forecasts given clear beyond any doubt that the true forecasts given by the astrologers when consulted were uttered by chance or by luck, not from the science of studying the stars” (Augustine, IV.6), and that their predictions were “power apparent in lots, a power everywhere diffused in the nature of things. So, when someone happens to consult the

Forecasting methods and the field of astrology specifically have roots traced as far back as 19th century BCE Mesopotamia. As we moved away from the Neolithic period, and civilizations and massive empires grew, methods of forecasting changed concurrently. In the early Roman empire, Ptolemy dominated astrology, many times referred to as “a pro-astrological authority of the highest magnitude.” One of Ptolemy’s most famous works, Tetrabiblos, acted as the authoritative work in the field for many decades. As Ptolemy demonstrates in Tetrabiblos, astrology was truly a qualitative field of prediction during antiquity. Ptolemy would observe the movement of celestial bodies and find qualitative explanations for things

Astronomy is defined as the study of non-Earthly bodies and phenomena such as the sun, moon, stars, and planets. Human behavior is defined as the range of physical and emotional behaviors that humans engage in; biologically, socially, intellectually, etc. and are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics. When combined, the two topics merge into a third one called astrology: the study of celestial entities and how they apply to the characteristics and affairs of humankind. Astrology has been influences human behavior on daily lives.

Astronomy (Before 500 BC) has been around since the first humans looked to the stars and wondered what the lights in the sky were. Many early cultures revolved around the stars in the sky, and the Mayan culture was one of the most successful, due to their long standing religions that are based off the sun, moon, and different seasons of the year. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in Wiltshire, England, scientists believed that this monument was used for predicting when the summer and winter solstices were going to happen, and making calendars for each year that would correctly present the seasons. Mayans believed that the stars in the night

I am firm believer of CONFIRMATION BIAS. I would read my zodiac sign just for fun, which I happen to be a Leo. Friday morning before school started I read my horoscope for the day and I saw that my zodiac sign said I was going to be moody. By the time I went to school I was already mad because I arrived at class twenty minutes late. After six horrible hours at school I went home all hot headed because I had a lot of homework to do and not enough time to do it. I had to babysit my nephews for the whole night and I was impatient with for the most stupidness things. As you can see because I read on my horoscope that I was going to be moody, my mood throughout the day was temperamental.

For example, your birthday can be analyzed in order to provide you with one number that will be representative of personality traits that you may have. In the same way, your name can be calculated to provide you with a number that can help guide you when making life decisions.

Teen Astrology shows how the sun represents outer personality, while the moon reflects the inner

There seems to be a great divide when it comes to astrological predictions. As a matter of fact, there are many misconceptions of how astrology really works.

Kuhn refutes this point by claiming that Popper's assertion that astrologers escape falsification by "explaining away" any possible refutations is impossible to support. Kuhn uses the example of "reputable records" that indicate many instances where astrology categorically failed. Astrology is a very complex science (or non-science, depending on your opinion). Measuring the planets and the stars is hard, and in the days when astrology was more popular, the tools for measuring were crude. In addition, few people knew exactly when they were born, a crucial detail needed to perform accurate astrology.

"Scientists examine how the world works by making observations, taking measurements, and testing whether their ideas are supported by evidence.” We pay attention to what is happening around us and try to understand it. When we think we understand how two things relate to each other, we design an experiment. In this paper, I'm going to talk about whether astrology and horoscope predictions are supposed to be accurate. There are a number of people in our society who put some faith in astrology. Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means for divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events, and horoscope is based on the Ptolemaic system that the earth is stationary, and moves around the sun in fixed patterns. Astrology divides the sky into twelve sections, with the different sign of the zodiac based on the mythological characteristics of the heavenly bodies (Aries, Leo, Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, Virgo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Gemini, and Scorpio). Some astrologers believe that time of birth, especially the hours and minutes, is

In his paper Popper talks about and attempts to find a point of demarcation or to create and fix the boundary between that of sciences and pseudo-sciences. Popper states that many of the theories people consider scientific (i.e. astrology) are in fact not and in order for a theory to be truly scientific it must follow a certain criteria. This criteria is the falsifiability, testability, and verifiability of the scientific status of a theory. Each of these claims are interlocking and rely on one another to work. Using these he is able to show what he thinks a true scientific claim should do. Along with that these claims are able to show how theories like astrology can fit into and answer just about any situation or question in life by simply remaining so vague that it cannot be proven wrong.

Although the article was very informative, as an aspiring astronomer myself, I found myself to contemplate some of the pseudoscientific concepts, as I, myself, with the small amount of knowledge of the cosmos I have acquired over the years can personally debate some of these topics. One could suggest that astrology is a field which is not scientific, after reading this article, as it does not rely on evidence and specific experimental results, but on coincidence (“fate”) and inaccuracy. Philosophy is based upon thinking and contemplation, much like how astrology is based upon this as well. Astronomy, however, is the scientific derivative of this, and is based upon mathematical calculation and specific evidence, “It is just the dependence of astrology on the uncertainties of physics that steps astrology as a science down a rung from astronomy. Where the truths of astronomy, being mathematical, are certain and knowable, the truths of astrology, being physical, are merely probable.” (Lehoux, 10) It is good that the author did compare both sides of the topic, but this still left some gaps in explanation as to why astrology could determine fate, because how do “they” know? There is no specific evidence to back up the philosophies behind these theories, only the fact that they have not yet been disproven.

In today’s society, astrology has been an extremely fascinating belief and study among certain social groups. Many people are used to refer to the daily horoscope in newspapers and popular magazines. However, a large group of scientists and philosophers such as Thagard (1978) consider that astrology is a pseudoscience, but there is a small amount of scientific evidence on whether if it is truly a pseudoscience or not. Some of them discuss that the psychological belief in astrology of oneself is the consequence of his or her desperation in finding solutions to their personal problems such as marriage and career which can somehow affect their life because of its psychological effects (Bennett, 1998). Besides, astrology is considered as an “ancestor” of modern science which is supported by two aspects of discussions (Thomas, 1971). Furthermore, most scientists hold the opinion that astrology can not be trust because it is lack of scientific support. Nevertheless, according to Fitts & Fitzgerald (1977), the fate of one person is determined at some level which is inevitable and inescapable. Moreover, Konstantinides (2004) contradict the idea that constellations are supposed to determine the characteristics of oneself in that everyone is different somehow even for twins. At last but not least, some experts claim that people do not necessarily understand themselves and others through astrology. That is why we