Why Do People Believe In Astrology?

If you don’t have time and interest to find out the truth about a discipline, then don’t pretend to be able to judge it.

I judge a discipline by its verifiable results.

Do you have any to share? Do we need to take your 12 week class to recognize a result?

Someone could say this about flat-earth, or lizard-people conspiracies, or that the Jews control the world, or a million other extraordinary ideas. Why should I invest time in your ideas, but not those other ones?

If “fruitful” means “shedding light on the subject” then this thread is going gangbusters…but if your definition of “fruitful” means “acquiring new students for your course” then this particular tree will probably be barren of fruit. BTW, can you provide your best example of a current astrologer that is doing it right by your standards?

Advanced mathematics like calculus can make predictions that can then be checked. I don’t need to know the methods – a mathemetician/engineer can make a prediction about some physical phenomenon (say, at what storm speed will a bridge fail), and then if they do the math correctly, that prediction will be demonstrated as true. That provides credibility for that method.

Is there any comparable demonstration astrology can make to provide such credibility?

You can use astrology to predict the tides.

Science can’t do that.

Bolding mine. If we’re just playing a game then we can write the rules and structure the universe the way we want it to be. I’m beginning to understand this now.

BTW, psjt, if you haven’t yet disappeared forever, having found infertile ground, what you have just employed is known as the Courtier’s Reply.

Based on your most recent replies you can disregard my previous questions. It is quite clear we won’t ever get a straight answer out of you.

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This one’s been tried for homeopathy. Adherents have claimed that homeopathy is based on quantum mechanics, and if you don’t understand what they’re talking about, you can’t say homeopathy doesn’t work. Most famously, Lionel Milgrom wrapped homeopathy in multiple layers of abstruse quantum world salad. Fortunately there is a more simple and elegant quantum explanation:

“This theoretical approach to homeopathy leads to a whole spectrum of new insights. Given the quantum nature of homeopathic preparations, collapse of the wave function into a definite state, i.e., causing the molecules of working substance to be in a limited number of defined flasks by conscious observation, is a real problem. Quality control should therefore only be carried out by unconscious personnel. Likewise, there is a real danger that observation of the patient, and especially of those quantum states pertaining to the ailment, leads to a collapse of his or her wave function, and may destroy the beneficial effects of treatment. This is especially true after treatment, and it is therefore recommended that the doctor has no further contact with a patient after treatment. Best of all, he should move to another town, or for the truly conscientious, commit suicide. All this is most in the patients’ interest.”

Anyway, one doesn’t need to be conversant in quantum mechanics to know that homeopathy is bunk, and one doesn’t need to take psjt’s “proper 12-week class” to dismiss astrology.

You can dress up the pig in top hat, tux and tails, and it’s still a pig.

Typical Pisces talk.

Aries don’t believe in astrology. Show me why I should in simple language.

Yet another good example of why we can’t make any new friends.

Being polite and not running off new posters is too complex an idea to explain in this forum. But you can sign up for my 12-week course on the subject. (I put the “pal” in PayPal.")

My friends don’t ask me for money before they’ll spill details on a subject.

Your horoscope warned me that you’d be a dollar wise but atrologically foolish today.

Welcome to the Straight Dope, psjt.

I’m going to close this zombie as it seems to have taken a turn to advertising. Discussing the merits or demerits of Astrology is perfectly okay and I see it under the guise of witnessing, but advertising is not okay so don’t do that, personal course or not.

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