Debunking Astrology: Myth in the Modern Era

If this were the SAT, the correct answer would be "Tom Cruise is to acting as astrology is to science," barely believable. Astrology has been dubbed a pseudo-science, but more accurately falls in the realm of religion. Astrology has its true believers that will not be dissuaded, but the objective of this article is to lay out the facts of the matter and pose a few thought-provoking questions. Astrology is bad science at best and poor religion at worst.

A brief history
Astrology began as early civilizations tried to codify the natural world. These efforts led to the first calendars in pursuit of agricultural goals. Knowing that the appearance of a certain star on the horizon was the harbinger of Spring was crucial to the farming cycle. Predicting the Nile's annual flood was pretty handy for the ancient Egyptians.

By reversing the order of cause and effect, it is a small, illogical step from "Spring comes as Antares (alpha Scorpius) rises at midnight," to "Antares brings Spring." It would be as logical to say, "The Sun causes hunger," because you get hungry every day around noon.

Astrological systems were developed independently in every culture around the globe. Each was unique to its society. Beyond the need for a calendar, the Egyptian, Persian, Chinese, and Mayan astrological systems have very little in common. Each expands into its own mythology of gods and alchemy.

Today's western astrology inherits most of its tenants from ancient Mesopotamia (Persia) and has been refined through Greco-Roman mythology with a healthy dash of medieval alchemy thrown in for good measure. This brings us to the first point against astrology as anything more than fancy.

Multiple astrological systems can't all be right
Which one is the right one? Because of its Greek influence, the modern western system utilizes the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) for interpretations of a person's "humor" to use the medieval meaning of the word. The Chinese add a fifth element, wood which throws a wrench in the works. Mayan astrology has no use for "the humors" of an individual.

These different cultures even divide the sky differently. The basis for astrology is the zodiac, an arbitrary designation of star groups. An astrologer would argue that it is not arbitrary, but rather equal 30-degree slices of the sky. Arbitrary is used here in the context of "cultural significance." For example is Orion a hunter, a tree, or a sheep? The Greeks, Chinese and Sumerians would answer, "Yes," respectively. Is Orion part of the zodiac? According to western astrology no, but the Chinese see this differently.

Without a common frame of reference, how do we know which of the competing systems is correct? Each places emphasis on different astronomical bodies. In the west, the planets are the primary actors. In Egypt, the stars, such as Sirius and Rigel were more important.

Since each system is ultimately filtered through the civilizations religions, interpretations take on different aspects as gods are assigned to rule over their section of the heavens. For example, in the west the planet Venus is characterized as female, but the Chinese call it simply "The Metal Star". The Maasai call it "The Orphan Boy." This makes one wonder what type of influence Venus truly could affect seeing that its power is dependent on the source culture's definition.

Bad science
Although astrology is mathematically complex, it is not good science. Any method of predicting the future or human behavior should produce regular, testable results. Astrological predictions fail when held to this scrutiny. Vague generalities do not count. You can tell 100 people the personality traits of a horoscope (not the newspaper kind, but the exactingly prepared type) and without knowing what sign is attached more than half would say, "That fits me to a T."

Since astrology was based on naked-eye astronomy, it does not allow for more recent discoveries. The ancient authors of astrology were unaware of any planet beyond Saturn. If the planets influence us, how do Uranus, Neptune and Pluto come into the system without revoking previous conclusions? What about the changing number of moons and other bodies that await discovery.

How can we be sure that astrology's claim of accuracy is valid when it does not take into account other heavily bodies? Since the premise of astrology is that the heavens influence humans, why are other known astronomical bodies not counted among the influential? Where are the quasars, pulsars, or black holes? Do planets in other stellar systems need to be included? How will astrology incorporate dark matter, if it is ever scientifically proven?

Stuck in the past
The astrology that was developed in the mid-east between 2000 and 1500 B.C. is still in use today. Astrologist do not account for the precession of the Earth. The Earth's axis wobbles slightly relative to the stellar background. The current positions of objects in the zodiac are no longer consistent with the astrology developed thousands of years ago.

Birth signs on the current calendar are actually out of sync by almost one month. You thought you were a Capricorn, but are really a Sagittarian. Give it 10,000 more years and Polaris will no longer be the North Star. It will surrender that title to Vega and the zodiac will be completely different. Astrologers are a short-sighted bunch.

Arbitrary assumptions
Beyond the arbitrary constellations, why is a person's time of birth the deciding factor in their western astrological future? Why not the time of conception? Is a fetus somehow exempt from heavenly influence? We know that a baby's development is dependent on the mother's health and diet. Obviously the unborn are influenced by external stimuli, but we are yet to come across an astrology chart for a fetus.

Astrology ignores significant, physical realities such as the distances between stars. Just because two stars appear close together in our two dimensional view of the sky, does not mean that they are not thousands of light years apart. How can two objects with such a vast distance between them transmit a similar influence?

Bad religion
The central theory of astrology is that the universe is kept in balance. Earthly events are products of heavenly actions. This belief eradicates free will. As a religion, this is just a bad idea. We can no more believe in astrology than we can believe that Zeus will send us on a great quest or Poseidon will attempt to thwart our quest because we left port on Friday the 13th.

If there are a host of celestial influences keeping one on their ordained path, they may as well play the part. Taken at face value, a valid reason for murder would be "I'm a Leo and that's how Leos are." Such belief conveniently relieves us of our faults and failings.

Conclusion
As stated at the outset of this article, it will not change the mind of the true believer in astrology. There will always be those that cling to mythology to make their lives easier. Unlike religions that require action on the part of the faithful, astrology reverses the need for positive actions and places humanity in the role of a puppet to celestial forces.

Some would argue that astrology is above the fray neither science nor religion. It is a system of faith that transcends the need for either. If this is true, what is the mysterious force that extrudes from the planets? If true, what exactly transcends the concept of God? There is either a physical force moving our lives or a spiritual one.

Those caught in the middle see neither the lamp of science nor the light of God. Maybe they see both. Science tells us that complimentary waves cancel each other out creating darkness. Religion tells us that good and evil must be a choice and choosing neither is darkness. Either way, those in the middle are in the dark.

Papal advisor, Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540) wrote "How happy are the astrologers if they tell one truth to a hundred lies, while other people lose all credibility if they tell one lie to a hundred truths." Perhaps the rock group Rush sang it best, "You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you chose not to decide, you still have made a choice…I will choose a path that's clear. I will choose free will."