ASTROLOGY IS FUN, BUT USELESS IN PREDICTING (3-2004)

The motions of the stars and moon were much more important 
to our ancient ancestors than they are to most of us today. 
After all, there was no artificial lighting, other than 
campfires, in those days.

So it is not surprising that the ancients paid close 
attention to the paths the stars seemed to take around the 
earth, or to the shapes they make when you connect the dots 
in the sky. These shapes are called constellations.

Our ancestors noticed that certain constellations of stars 
seemed to travel in the same path as the sun. This path is 
called the ecliptic. The 12 constellations that are located 
within the ecliptic became known as the signs of the 
zodiac. The sign the sun was in at the time of one’s birth, 
became that person’s birth sign.

But these ancient folk did not use scientific inquiry to 
help them find answers to their questions. They mainly used 
assumptions and anecdotal evidence to come up with their 
theories of the world.

One of the earliest assumptions was that the relative 
positions of the planets, sun, and moon on the day you were 
born somehow could determine your personality traits. These 
star signs could also foretell your destiny, or so they 
thought.

As people became more intelligent, some of the more 
enlightened members of the population began testing these 
early assumptions. Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and others 
slowly brought an end to the “laws” of nature as outlined 
by the philosopher Aristotle, who formed them simply by 
thinking about what seemed reasonable.

But there is one remnant of the early pre-scientific era 
that just wouldn’t die. It’s astrology, not to be confused 
with the actual science of the stars, astronomy.

Scientists who do research on images taken by the Hubble 
Space Telescope are astronomers. People who charge money to 
tell your fortune based on the alignment of the planets are 
charlatans. 

Most daily newspapers have an astrology column. Few have an 
astronomy column. Astrology is popular. So is astronomy, 
but people tend not to take it too personally. 

Astrology, on the other hand, by its very nature is 
personal. That might explain its longevity, and its 
continuing popularity.

I can understand the use of astrology as an entertainment 
medium. Fortune cookies are fun to read, but nobody takes 
them seriously.

Some people do take their horoscopes seriously, though. And 
these people need help. They need help in understanding 
that there is no mysterious force connecting the location 
of the moon on the day they were born with any future event 
in their lives.

Although it might be a fun game to see how closely your 
horoscope matches your real life, some people use it to 
guide their decisions. I was speaking with one young lady 
the other day who said that her boss even uses a person’s 
birth sign as one criterion for hiring. 

Astrology, numerology, tarot cards, and similar phenomena 
are fine as party games. But one must not use any of them 
to help them make important decisions, especially decisions 
that might affect someone else’s life. 

There is no scientifically valid evidence to support the 
assumptions of astrology. For that reason, using it for 
anything other than pure entertainment is ill-advised.