Modern Astrology: A Critique
Abstract
Astrology, as presently practiced (in either its traditional or psychological form), has no relevance to understanding ourselves or our place in the cosmos. Modern advocates of astrology cannot account for the underlying basis of astrological associations with terrestrial affairs, have no plausible explanation for its claims, and have not contributed anything of cognitive value to any field of the social sciences. Further, astrology does not have the theoretical or conceptual resources to resolve its own internal problems adequately or external anomalies or to adjudicate among conflicting astrological claims or systems.
... implanted set-up in our minds by an astral intelligence, connections intuited by minds using paranormal means, inferences from planetary appearances, archetypal meanings in the unconscious mind, to ancient skilled observers who, through centuries of refined observations, established the connections found in contemporary astrology (a number of these views are critically considered in Kelly, 1997Kelly, /2005. Consequently, there is no agreed-upon methodology or epistemology to resolve astrological disputes. ...
... On this view, names and associated mythologies were allegedly added because they matched the observations. If this was the case, we would expect more agreement across cultures regarding what symbolism to attach to such celestial movements (see also, Kelly 1997Kelly /2005. We would also expect detailed historical records showing this. ...
... Modern adherents of alchemy could say the same thing (Gordin, 2021). In some ways this is an odd thing to say, given that astrology does not have a central place in our educational system, and is full of conceptual and scientific problems from beginning to end (Kelly, /1997(Kelly, / /2005Dean, Mather, Nias & Smit 2021). The onus is on astrologers to persuade us to take it seriously, it is not on the rest of us to disprove astrology. ...
The focus of this paper is on contemporary natal astrology (which is centered on one's birthdate) as construed by most Western astrologers. The emphasis is on versions of astrology that view astrology as a science or proto-science, and modern psychological astrology.
... 4 Little explanation can, however, be given for why a particular zodiac sign is associated with certain personality traits, or how these associations were originally derived. 1,5 Despite the lack of scientific evidence, horoscopes forecasting a person's future based purely on their zodiac sign first appeared in English newspapers in the 1930s and continue to feature in glossy magazines and on the internet, with birth charts being popular, or essential, in many cultures. 6,7 Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used to assess the efficacy of a surgical intervention from the patient's perspective, 8 improving the understanding of which outcomes are most relevant for everyday functioning. ...
Aim:
There are 12 signs of the zodiac, each attributed with its own specific personality traits, desires and attitudes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of zodiac sign on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Method:
Patients undergoing primary TKA during a 2-year period (January 2019 to December 2020) were identified retrospectively. Patient demographics, Oxford Knee Score (OKS), EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D) (baseline, 1 and 2 years) and patient satisfaction scores (1 and 2 years) were collected. Each patient's zodiac sign was assigned from their date of birth.
Results:
There were 509 patients (228 males [44.8%] and 281 females [55.2%]) with a mean age of 70.9 years and a mean BMI of 30.3. There were no significant differences in gender (p=0.712), age (p=0.088), BMI (p=0.660), or pre-operative OKS (p=0.539). Aries and Gemini (0.366) had the worst and Pisces the best (0.595) pre-operative EQ-5D scores (p=0.038). When adjusting for confounding, Aries (p=0.031) had a greater improvement in EQ-5D at 1 year, although this was not maintained at 2 years. When adjusting for confounding, Pisceans had significantly less of an improvement in OKS at both 1 (p=0.022) and 2 years (p=0.042) and also had a significantly lower risk of satisfaction at 2 years (odds ratio 0.41, p=0.043).
Conclusion:
Zodiac sign was associated with outcome following TKA. Pisceans had the best pre-operative EQ-5D scores, but the least improvement in the post-operative joint specific score (OKS) and were less likely to be satisfied, despite achieving an equal improvement in their health-related quality of life (EQ-5D). Aries started with the lowest pre-operative EQ-5D scores but achieved the best scores at 1 year. Our study shows that an individual's zodiac sign may serve as a useful predictive factor for functional outcomes and satisfaction following TKA. However, our findings are the result of multiple testing in a large dataset following a data trawl, and correlation does not necessarily equal causation even in a real-world registry.
... The astrological chart is a representation of the position of planets in a particular time. It is a circular diagram with twelve regions that is the 360 degree circle and is divided into twelve regions with 30 degrees each [8] [2]. Each region is known as Houses, Rasi or Bhavas. ...
Majority of people have connected their day to day life with Astrology. Normally the astrological factors would be checked for the prediction of birth details, house warming, marriages etc. The perception of astrology may vary for people. Due to the innumerable instance that provides the influence of astrology in our day to day life, some consider it as divine guidance or a vital source of information that has much to offer apart from solutions to problems in life. People are considering astrology as the traditional science of India. All the popular television channels and newspapers include the astrology programs in their schedules. That is only because of the wide popularity and acceptability of astrology in the minds of common man. Still, modern science is not considering astrology as a proven science. All the astrological calculations and predictions are still performed in the traditional way. Modern scientific methods or inventions are not at all used by the astrologers. In this paper, there is an attempt to connect traditional science with the modern science. Nowadays data mining is a most popular research area. Application of data mining in astrology is a new concept and that type researches are not popular now. If it is possible to prove that the data mining techniques are effective for astrological prediction then it will help to increase the acceptance of astrology in the area of modern science. Thus, there is an effort to increase the credibility of traditional science astrology by connecting it with modern science through the possibilities of Data mining.
... Cu toate acestea, astrologia atât în forma tradițională, cât și în forma modernă "nu oferă o contribuție valabilă pentru înțelegerea noastră, nici pentru cunoașterea locului nostru în cosmos. Astrologia este profund problematică de la început până la sfârșit" (Kelly, 1997(Kelly, , p. 1035. ...
... Posso benissimo immaginare che, a risposta di questa mia critica, 1 un altissimo numero di professionisti del settore si indignerebbe, portandomi a controesempio 1 Dico mia, ma in realtà è stata formulata con competenza maggiore e miriadi di dettagli da astronomi e altri ricercatori. Tra l'enorme bibliografia a riguardo si veda la rassegna di Kelly, I. W. (1997), Modern astrology: a critique. In Italia l'astrofisica Margherita Hack ha pubblicamente criticato l'astrologia. ...
This article critically analyzes the concept of scientific psychotherapy. It shows how a whole range of problems-which arise from studying both the specific psychotherapies and their multiform set-can be traced back, on the one hand, to the needs of promotion and self-justification by a group of professionals and on the other hand, to a series of pre-conceptions concerning the alleged special nature of the psychotherapies. In fact, in their therapeutic efficacy, the latter do not really differ from other traditional or religious forms of treatment. For a true critical discourse, it's essential to restart by studying, without lobbying influences, the actual psychotherapeutic process.
Correlates of Belief in Astrology: Celebrity Admiration and Narcissism
Astrology is regarded as a method of foreseeing the future. Everyone who consults an astrologer, from ancient times to the present, has knowledge of the future. Astrologers use planetary positions to discuss the many stages in a person’s life. Understanding the interplay of planetary positions can reveal critical life stages. Astrologers utilize a person’s horoscope to make predictions. But the accuracy of horoscopes depends only on the knowledge of “Jyotish acharya” especially when it comes to employment forecasts. Machine learning offers the greatest solution for the analysis and prediction of such types of applications. The paper’s primary goal is to find the scientific validity and rules for astrological prediction using a case-based reasoning method that mitigates the shortcomings of the conventional method, clarifies the fundamental principles of astrological prediction, and establishes the reliability of astrology using machine learning classification approaches Naive Bayes, Logistic-R, and J48. Experiment applied to the horoscope to identify whether the person becomes a government officer or a celebrity or not. 300 people’s data were gathered in order to conduct these studies. 100 were celebrities, 100 were Govt.-officer and the remaining people were unemployed or students. The information gathered included the person’s time, place, and date of birth.KeywordsAstrologyClassification techniquesDecision tableLogistic -RNaïve Bayes J48Horoscope
Astrology is an ancient concept. Each person’s astrological chart is unique and independent, which can be influenced by different factors. In the current world, there are no standard rules or guidelines for astrological prediction. Many applications can be used to predict and analyze data, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. These applications make use of computers to analyze unknown, large, noisy, and complex data sets and to predict and classify them. This paper aims to establish universal rules and validate astrology by using various scientific methods. This research uses the positions of stars and planets at birth to determine the profession of a person. Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes Algorithm, and Catboost Algorithm use this information to predict a person’s profession. The learning classification dataset consisted of 6248 records covering 14 different professions.
Rainfall prediction is the highest research priority in flood-prone areas across the world. This work assesses the abilities of the Decision Tree (DT), Distributed Decision Tree (DDT), Naïve Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), K Nearest Neighbour (KNN), and Fuzzy Logic Decision Tree (FDTs) machine learning algorithms for the rainfall prediction across the Kashmir province of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. On application of Machine learning algorithms on geographical datasets gave performance accuracy varying from (78.61–81.53)%. Further again machine learning algorithms were reapplied on the dataset without season variable yet again performance ranged in between (77.5–81)%. Vigorous analysis has established that these machine learning models are robust and our study has established that the dataset reaches performance stagnation and thus resulting in performance capping. The stagnation is irrespective of the choice of algorithm and the performance shall not improvise beyond a specific value irrespective of the choice of the machine learning algorithm.
A critical conceptual examination of Humanistic Astrology. Humanistic astrology is concerned exclusively with helping people understand themselves and their potentials and is generally more spiritual than traditional astrology. While the aims of Humanistic astrology as practised by Dane Rudhyar arelaudable, its tenets are deeply problematic.
Psyche and Soma is a multi-disciplinary exploration of the history of understanding of the human mind or soul and its relationship to the body, through the course of more than two thousand years. Thirteen specially commissioned chapters, each written by a recognized expert in the field, explore in chronological sequence the views of influential writers on such questions as the soul's immortality, the control it exerts over the body, how mental disturbances can arise out of bodily imbalances, and the roles of the priest and the physician in promoting spiritual welfare. The main figures whose views are treated include the doctors Hippocrates, Galen, H. Boerhaave, and Wm. Cullen, theologians such as the Apostle Paul, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, and philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Leibniz. Psyche and Soma will be a key point of reference and a rich source of illumination in this central area of human inquiry.
Like its three predecessors, the fourth edition of this book present current, informed reviews of research on treatments that work for a wide range of mental disorders. The 28 chapters cover pharmacological, psychosocial, and combined treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, disruptive behavior disorders, schizophrenic spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder in adults and children, major depressive disorder in adults and children, panic disorders, phobias, social and generalized anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunctions, substance use disorders, gambling disorder, impulse control disorders, neurocognitive disorders, and personality disorders. Authors of most of the chapters were substantially involved in the development of the treatments reviewed in their chapters.
This paper analyzes architectural alignments and reports the results of interviews with priests and lay persons at those temples in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu in which sunlight of the rising or setting sun enters the sanctum, primarily near equinox. The event, known as Surya puja, occurs most frequently in Shaivite temples and is most often understood to be a case of the sun worshipping Lord Shiva. At some temples it is believed the sun suffers from leprosy, which may be associated with an outbreak of sunspots in the late 11th century. Many of today's Surya puja rituals have strong astrological dimensions, which have probably grown in intensity since the temples were built.
Consciousness is neither miraculous nor ultimately mysterious. In this broad, entertaining, and persuasive account Owen Flanagan argues that we are on the way to understanding consciousness and its place in the natural order. No aspect of consciousness escapes Flanagan's probe. Qualia, self-consciousness, autobiographical memory, perceptions, sensations, the stream of consciousness, disorders such as blindsight, various kinds of amnesia, and multiple personality all find a place in a constructive theory that brings into reflective equilibrium insights from a wide array of disciplines to reveal the deep, rich, and complex hidden structure of consciousness.
Flanagan roams freely through a variety of scientific and philosophical domains, showing how it is possible to understand human consciousness in a way that gives its subjective, phenomenal aspects their full due while at the same time taking into account the neural bases of subjectivity. The result is a powerful synthetic theory of consciousness, a "constructive naturalism," according to which subjective consciousness is real, plays an important causal role, and resides in the brain.
Flanagan draws the reader into a world of exciting current debates among such philosophers as Thomas Nagel, Daniel Dennett, Paul Churchland, Patricia Churchland, and Colin McGinn, and he makes this world accessible. He masterfully weaves the latest insights from theory and research in cognitive neuroscience, neural darwinism, connectionist brain architecture, and PET scanners to reveal clear links between events that "seem a certain way" and underlying neural activity. William James's famous phenomenological analysis of consciousness and neurologically impaired characters from the writings of Oliver Sacks and A.R. Luria join the narrative, providing valuable insights into important current controversies on the relation of consciousness to self.
Bradford Books imprint
Much about this third edition of A Guide to Treatments That Work remains as it was in the first and second editions. Like its predecessors, this edition offers detailed evaluative reviews of current research on empirically supported treatments, written in most instances by clinical psychologists and psychiatrists who are major contributors to that literature. Similarly, the standards by which the authors were asked to evaluate the methodological rigor of the research on treatments have also remained the same. As before, they provide information on the quality of the research on treatment efficacy and effectiveness that is reviewed.