Astrology: astronomy's non-scientific evil cousin

Well before the western world was burning women for allegedly practicing witchcraft we looked up at night and came up with other ridiculous false beliefs. A prominent false science that amazingly still exists today is the idea that there is a correlation between the time of our birth the location of our neighboring planets in relation to Earth, and what happens to us on a daily basis.

When I actually thought about this just now, I asked: why these two variables? The skeptic in me explained: these two factors are a perfect combination to get acceptance on part of the layman. The first provides a personal uniqueness that reinforces our desire to be special and unique. The second is a spiritual link, suggesting a higher power than ourselves that is guiding our lives or even watching over us.

Together with the mostly rosy picture painted in them, and our strong desire to be in control of our lives and know the future, we are left defenseless in the face of an onslaught by professional charlatans.

My Yahoo! horoscope for today reads:

"You'll get an unforgettable rush from discovering something new today, but it will take a lot of effort on your part to find it! Leave no rock unturned in your search for new sights and sounds today -- behind any new face could be your new love. On any radio station could be your new favorite band. Around any corner could be your favorite new coffee shop. Be thorough and don't skip over anyone, today. Unlock your curiosity and let it take you wherever it wants to take you."

Note the element common to all the "mystical sciences": specificity. Non-science cannot and will not provide the core requirement of science- to provide a repeatable test*. It relies on simply accepting the word of an "expert". Read this rewrite:

"This horoscope provides no real idea of what positive thing will happen to you. It could be anything from finding a five-dollar bill in the street to meeting your future wife. Heck, if even one of seven stop lights you approach is green, that's sufficient to attribute success! Oh, and if you had a lousy day, it's your fault for not trying hard enough to make something good happen to you."

What makes this particular horoscope especially crafty is that escape route placed right at the start. Did you notice how easy it is for the unsuspecting fool to not disbelieve astrology? It's their fault for not putting enough effort into it. Most insulting is just this requirement- this horoscope is actually a general piece of advice ("it's important to work hard for your future") masked in mumbo-jumbo superstition.

You know what would be a more impressive prediction? If the horoscope told me to not look for something new and exciting. If it told me to stay at home, eat a hot pocket and watch sitcoms all afternoon. If I found a new love, or took on an exciting new hobby by doing that, then I'd take horoscopes just a tad more seriously.


* for a great few hours of watching YouTube videos, search for a physicist by the name of "James Randi", also known as "The Amazing Randi". Two of my favorite videos are his talk at Google and his explanation of homeopathy