Astrology and Science
Index
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Because astrologers so often argue that astrology is scientific, it is reasonable to submit their specific claims to scientific scrutiny. Science is essentially a process of trial and error for investigating the nature of the world around us. The first step in this process is to observe phenomena in nature - these, in the end, are the only real "truths."
So, does astrology qualify as an actual science or not? What is science, and how does astrology compare against astronomy, which is a science? For astrology to be counted as scientific to any degree, both its data and predictions must be open to independent, objective and empirical testing. If there are no imaginable phenomena, state of affairs or predictions which can be checked and which, if false, would indicate that astrology is wrong, then it is in principle impossible for astrology to be scientific.
Scientific Critiques
-->Astrology vs. Astronomy
Astrology and astronomy grew up together throughout a large portion of human history. The two cannot in fact be distinguished until only the past few hundred years, and because so many people mistakenly think that astrology is some kind of science, it often happens that the two are even today still confused with one another.Astrology: Art or Science?
Is Astrology an art or is it a science? This may seem like an odd question, but the fact of the matter is that astrologers appear to want to have it both ways. On the one hand, they claim that what they do is something like an art, requiring a particular "feel" for the nature of celestial events and human beings. On the other hand, they try to paint their work with the brush of scientific accuracy and validity in the hopes that such an association will help justify what they do.Astrology: Pseudocience?
If astrology is not really a science, then is it possible to classify it as a form of pseudoscience? Most skeptics will readily agree with that classification, but only by examining astrology in light of some basic characteristics of science can we decide if such a judgment is warranted.
