Mahdis Habibinia | Executive Editor (Online)
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Geminis are said to have dual personalities, Sagittariuses are known to be fiery, Aquariuses are apparently shy, and there are about nine other predictions (out of the supposed twelve types) of people that the almost-eight billion on this planet can possibly be.
This all stems from a particular pseudoscience that the gullible portion of the population tends to commend as an actual science—astrology.
First, let’s make the distinction between astrology and horoscopes: the latter is what the West has done with an ancient study of the movement and positions of celestial objects to predict human affairs, as nothing more than your average magazine’s attempt to meet weekly sales.
The main difference is that astrology is a pseudoscience, whereas horoscopes are predictions (in the form of charts and diagrams) based on astrology.
A pseudoscience is a discipline that appears to be science-based, but violates one or more of the foundations of the scientific method. This particular discipline focuses on the belief that celestial and planetary positions have an impact on people’s lives, and affairs. It is believed that the position of the sun, the moon, and the planets at the time of one’s birth can have a direct impact on an individual’s personality, and the course of their life.
Besides cosmic rays and the basic notion of light, the only celestial ‘event’ worth noting that influences human affairs is the force of gravity
It should be noted that astrology has a rich history dating back thousands of years, and played a significant role in several ancient civilizations and cultures—before astronomy became recognized as its own distinguished science. So initially, it had nothing to do with human affairs and dispositions.
More than 2,000 years ago, the Babylonians used astrological charts to help them predict the recurrence of seasons and certain celestial events, such as full moons. It was even utilized to predict weather patterns primarily for agricultural purposes. These predictions eventually broadened to forecast natural disasters, war, and other events in the course of human affairs. The accuracy of this initial use of astrology gave way to a slippery slope, and began encompassing human affairs and behaviour.
Astrology, as we know it today, does not test its core positions in accordance with scientific principles. In science, a theory is falsified if it fails to meet or violates even a single fundamental principle. Astrology makes falsifiable predictions and these predictions aren’t any more accurate than random chance, Marshall McCall, PhD, chair of York’s department of physics and astronomy, and director of the undergraduate program in biophysics, explains.
In the west, at least, astrology is still largely based on works written nearly 2,000 years ago.
Michael De Robertis, PhD, and professor in York’s department of physics and astronomy, says: “If you consult a real astrologer, they will laugh at the general notion that horoscopes (such as those found in most newspapers) are useful on their own. In fact, astrological interpretations are far more complex than simply ‘sun-sign astrology’ might suggest. Nonetheless, they have little merit in my view.”
Although astrology and astronomy share similarities in roots, the latter is the study of the universe and its contents outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomers examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects. Whereas astrologers attempt to study how those properties affect people and events on Earth.
“The Renaissance was probably the time in history where the science of ‘astronomy’ became more dominant than astrology, at least in Europe. From a historical perspective it can probably be said that astrology had a beneficiary effect on the development of the science of astronomy in a wider sense,” Norbert Bartel, professor of astronomy and physics in York’s department of physics and astronomy, explains.
Yet for several millennia, even after the Babylonians, there has been an impending desire to advance astrological predictions, in spite of their arbitrary nature.
People are drawn to astrology “because astrologers don’t hesitate to make predictions about one’s future partner, or job, or… while no science will normally touch such areas. Some people are drawn to astrology because ‘astrology is spiritual’ while science is not; people who are anti-science don’t hesitate to embrace things like astrology or alternative medicine, despite their lack of efficacy,” De Robertis says.
The descriptions are vague parables, that will answer your life-long impending questions and come true, at the behest of a self-induced placebo—or a simple self-fulfilling prophecy. Often you have to look mighty hard to find your answer, but if you look hard enough, it’s always there. We see this with fortune cookies, and your local psychic living in a bungalow offering tarot card and palm readings.
People tend to get lost in the illusion that they have some sort of control over every aspect of their lives, and absolutely every human affair that unfolds. Using astrology as a means of determining such things might give some a sense of relief. After all, we fear the unknown. But if that’s the case, astrology in and of itself, would then imply that there is no free will.
“It may be human nature to believe in simplification and think that there is an easy way to describe something as complicated as the character of a person and predict the person’s future. But it is not that easy,” Bartel says.
These simplifications rest on the notion that if you properly interpret the position of celestial objects—the heavens!—it can help us make decisions that will lead us to live more fulfilled and happier lives. Yes, you read that right. Following trajectories in the sky that can change in the blink of an eye will lead you to a happier (more productive, fulfilled, etc.) life.
“Really?” De Robertis says. “First of all, these signs are by no means obvious to the average person and require heavy interpretation (interpretation that differs from astrologer to astrologer) and second, it would be much easier and more objective if one consulted other sources such as the Bible or other compendium of wisdom. And if your life doesn’t work out, blame the stars. Really?”
McCall explains: “The reason some people think that astrology and horoscopes are credible is because they make generalizations that can be twisted in one way or another to appear to apply to virtually anyone.”
A teacher once carefully distributed a sheet of paper with a single horoscope on each sheet that was tailored to each of her students’ Sun sign. After reading their horoscopes, students were asked to rate the accuracy of their horoscopes, and about 85 per cent of the students responded with ‘accurate to very accurate.’ Unbeknownst to the class, however, they all received the same exact horoscope—and it was also the horoscope of a notorious mass murderer.
“So much for the accuracy of horoscopes,” says De Robertis. “There are many other such stories, all illustrating the same thing. Horoscopes are highly subjective in nature.”
They should really only be taken seriously as a kind of entertainment and amusement at best, agrees both Bartel and De Robertis.
If that isn’t enough to turn your world upside down, for those of you who have your sign tattooed, were you aware that there has always been 13th zodiac (or constellation) called ‘Ophiuchus’ sandwiched in between Scorpio and Sagittarius?
Yes, you read that right. There has always been 13 zodiac signs because there has always been 13 constellations.
Some people have almost lost their sense of identity based on the existence of these constellations, and a couple years ago they completely lost their marbles over the possibility there could be a 13th. If someone’s sense of self is dependent on their astrological sign, it might be worthwhile to take some time for self-reflection.
But here’s the thing: according to Western astrology, Ophiuchus is not significant. Eastern astrology base the zodiac off of constellations, not zodiac signs.
“Ophiuchus has nothing to do with astrology,” Western astrologist Rick Levine told DailyHoroscope. “It’s not an astrology issue. It has to do with the stars—it’s not a sign, it’s a constellation. There are four seasons each with a beginning, middle, and end that makes 12 zodiac signs, and there’s no such thing as a 13th astrological sign.”
But those who follow Eastern astrology believe that the ancient Babylonians knew there was a thirteenth constellation, they just simply chose to leave it out of the zodiacs because it wouldn’t fit nicely into their 12-month calendar.
NASA further expands on this narrative: about 3,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians divided the zodiac into 12 pieces so that each one represented a constellation that the sun would appear to pass through at different points of the year, as the Earth orbited the sun. But the Babylonians cheated, kind of. The sun didn’t actually pass through each constellation for a consistent and fixed 30-day timespan. It varied. Also, the sky has shifted because Earth’s axis has changed slightly over the course of 3,000 years.
Early astrologers knew it took 12 months for the sun to return to its original position. So they identified 12 (of the 13) constellations that they believed were somehow linked to the changing of the seasons. They assigned these constellations names in accordance with Earth’s daily rotation around the sun. And the rest is history.
That’s the problem with affiliating a two-millennia-old discipline to today’s system of human affairs. It is absurd. It is now known that Earth precesses around its axis in approximately 26,000 years. So consider this: “2,200 years ago, if you were born, for instance, on what would be February 24, you were considered to be born under the Zodiac sign of Pisces, according to Babylonian astrologers,” Bartel explains. “Also, modern astrologers consider you to be born under the sign of Pisces. However, in modern times the sun is actually in the Zodiac sign of Aquarius on February 24. Modern astrology completely ignores this scientific fact. So if your birthday is February 24 and you think you are a Pisces, think again. You are actually an Aquarius and should look up your fortunes in the horoscopes under Aquarius.”
So the question remains, for those thinking they are a Pisces, or those born between November 29 and December 17 which would mean you are an Ophiuchus, have you lost your marbles altogether about who you are yet?
If so, it’s a naive way of understanding the future or one’s own character. This pseudoscience comes in all different variations and their predictions will vary on any given day. So while having a strong belief system in something as erroneous as astrology can help ground you, it does not ground you in reality.
“Astrology may have satisfied ‘character and future’ inquiries several thousand years ago, but disciplines such as psychology and the social sciences do a much better job today,” De Robertis says.
“Your successes and failures in life are of your own making, not the making of celestial bodies. Unless, of course, you get hit by a meteor,” McCall says.
So for those of you who have your zodiac sign inked on your skin, or look towards the heavens for advice and decisions, you might want to reconsider the validity of an ever-changing generalization fueling your own self-fulfilling prophecies.
