It is also against the first Commandment.
From: Goanet Mail Reformatted <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Goanet]Astrology- A pseudo-science
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 14:38:20 -0400
- Forwarded message from [EMAIL PROTECTED] -
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 23:16:36 +0530
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Astrology- A pseudo-science
In his book Flim Flam, the well-known American conjuror James Randi
recounted
how as a young man he briefly got the astrology job on a Montreal
newspaper,
making up the horoscopes under the name Zo-ran. His method was to cut out
the
forecasts from old astrology magazines, shuffle them in a hat, distribute
them
at random among the 12 zodiacal signs and print the results. This was very
successful of course, because all the predictions were working on the
"Barnum
principle", of saying things so vague and general that all readers would
think
that it applied to them.
Belief in astrology has become so widespread that many able, highly
distinguished and intellectual people today indulge in it. There are many
who
wish to live in a world governed by fantasy and mystical wonder; where the
tall
and wild claims of astrologers are generally accepted as the
unchallengeable
truth. Excessive attention to Astrology is one of the superstitions that
is
hurting India very badly. The continued uncritical dissemination of
astrological charts, forecasts and horoscopes has contributed to the growth
of
irrationalism and obscurantism.
To qualify as a scientific theory, an idea has to be logically consistent,
both
internally (all of its claims must be consistent with each other) and
externally (unless there are good reasons, it must be consistent with
theories
which are already known to be valid and true). Astrology fails on this
score.
Neither its basic assumptions nor its predictions conform to the rigorous
discipline that science demands. So much of what is claimed about astrology
contradicts what is already known and proven in physics. The twinkling
stars
tell us nothing. Astrology is nothing but hogwash and superstition.
As William Shakespeare states in King Lear in his inimitable style:
``This is
the excellent foppery of the world, that when we are sick in fortune -often
the
surfeits of our own behaviour - we make guilty of our disasters the sun,
the
moon and stars; as if we were villains on necessity; fools by heavenly
compulsion; knaves, thieves and traitors by spherical predominance;
drunkards,
liars and adulterers by an enforced obedience of planetary influence; and
all
that we are evil in by a divine thrusting on an admirable evasion of
whoremaster man to lay his goatish disposition on the charge of a star!''
If we allow ourselves to be overrun by dangerous superstitions, society
faces a
most dangerous plight. A society engulfed in superstition is a detriment to
itself. The time has come to challenge directly and forcefully this
pretentious
science of "Astrology". The bunkum must be separated from the reality!
Sandeep Heble
Panaji-Goa
- End forwarded message -
##
# Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] #
# PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts #
# More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ #
# Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others #
##
_
Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online
http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963
##
# Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] #
# PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts #
# More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ #
# Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others #
##