It sort of depends on what brand. Astrology includes a system of symbolism that’s fairly complex (a great deal moreso than the newspaper-style variety), and interesting in much the same way that, say, heraldry is. Its predictive value is nil, but it descriptive value is more debateable; the symbolism and how it combines of a birth chart, taking into account planetary meanings, the angles between them, houses and whatnot is sort of like dream interpretation–taking isolated chunks of meaning, and putting them all together into a coherent narrative based on a few ground rules.
That that narrative has very little to do with the real world is something I will agree with.
This is a good description of our disagreement. Yes, there is a reason why a university should be restricted to my beliefs about astrology – my beliefs are right. They agree with the natural world we live in.
The human race spent thousands of years climbing out of superstition and ignorance into knowledge and wisdom. I cannot accept the idea that it’s all just a matter of opinion. It amounts to throwing away much of the progress we’ve made.
But accreditation in the case of proprietary trade-schools is NOT primarily about whether they fight ignorance but about how well-run is the school and what placement services they can provide to the student/customer. One of the criteria for holding on to accreditation is how many of the students pay back their loans (a sign of how many could land jobs).
Drastic puts it quite well in his latest.
And december, I’m confident that there is no real risk that the reputable RA consortia will start accrediting astrology programs right and left…
“This is a good description of our disagreement. Yes, there is a reason why a university should be restricted to my beliefs about astrology – my beliefs are right. They agree with the natural world we live in.”
As are mine. Astrology is a real and a viable business. Just because the product isn’t something you agree with or anything that I personally would take seriously doesn’t mean that either of us are wrong here.
“The human race spent thousands of years climbing out of superstition and ignorance into knowledge and wisdom. I cannot accept the idea that it’s all just a matter of opinion. It amounts to throwing away much of the progress we’ve made.”
This isn’t a case of extremism as you would have it. Folklore is a valuable contribution of society on at least a social level. Just becuase it may advocate what you view as a superstition still doesn’t go back to the fact that people are interested enough in folklore to support an old folk practice.
“While it is true that many newspaper and magazine astrology columns carry a disclaimer of the sort, that is mostly the newspaper doing that despite the astrologer, and this is mainly because of pressure from CSICOP. The astrologers who do carry these disclaimers adamantly deny they are applicable, and merely view them as a necessary evil.”
That is part of the showmanship of the “performance” I would have to say. Putting a disclaimer not to take it seriously and then denying it is a way of creating mystery about the process. I have been to astrologers and psychics in the past and have had the whole range of loons to normal people who practice folk art. For the most part the amateurs and many of the professionals siad as much gave the disclaimer and said that they do it for fun. Simple enough.
Wow december made a first personal attack with, “If SqrlCub is making the decisions, there will be a lot of accreditiations.”
That is kind of funny. Do you know what my actual job is? Many of the DC area people do. Take a guess.
I don’t appreciate the personal attack. If I challenged your intolerance so much that you couldn’t accept it any more I personally would feel that the outlash of the above statement is a mark of your current state of being as directly effects your logical and rational process.