Transcript Astrology - the University of Redlands

Astrology
2/18/1996
…lots and lots and lots of math.
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Goals
• Is astrology a science?
• Why should we care?
• Is science just another belief?
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Non-scientific Theories
•
•
•
Make no predictions
Un-testable
Can’t be falsified
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Non-scientific Theories
• Cholesterol too high?  Aliens are clogging your
arteries with invisible probes.
• Spaghetti is bland?  You were meant to eat
bland food.
• Cholesterol too high?  Gods must be angry.
• Spaghetti is bland?  At the instant of tasting,
tongue is transported to alternate dimension where
all flavors are rendered nullified. Happens
instantaneously.
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Non-scientific Theories
Viking Orbiter (1976)
Mars Global Surveyor (1998)
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Falsification
• A real Scientific Theory tells you what
observations are necessary to falsify it.
– Not so proponents of:
• Face on Mars
• Moon Hoax
• Astrologers
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Concept Test
•
Consider the following theory. Why does it not satisfy the
requirements of a scientific theory?
“The chain of events needed for life to arise is too complicated to
have happened by chance; a higher intelligence must therefore have
caused life to arise (Intelligent Design).”
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
It contradicts the theory of evolution.
It makes no prediction which can be tested.
It assumes there is something we don’t understand.
It assumes there is a God.
It doesn’t rely upon any observations.
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Recap
•
•
Science is a way of making theories to explain the
physical world.
Scientific theories:
– Explain what is already seen
– Predict what can be seen in the future.
•
•
Predictions can be tested.
Scientific theories can be falsified.
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Astrology
• The date, time, (and place) of birth affect:
– Your personality
– Your actions
– Events that will affect your life
• Horoscopes appear in most papers.
• Millions of people read them daily.
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/horoscopes/astrology101.html
http://astrology.about.com/od/basicsofastrology/
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Astrology
• Like other “-ologies”, is it a science?
– Explain what is seen?
– Make predictions?
• Does it work?
• What test would falsify astrology?
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Astrology Tests
• Come up with a test of astrology.
• Using no more than:
– People in this room.
– Available newspapers (past or present).
– Time available.
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Does Astrology Work?
• Does it pass the test?
• Does it work better than chance?
• Does it matter?
“One of the other prime uses of astrology is in connection with the basic
psychology of children and recognizing in children, at an early age, a basis for
later psychological difficulties. The horoscope is perhaps the best method to
reveal these tendencies while the child is still in infancy. When parents know
from the beginning where the seeds of difficulties lie in the child's life, early
care and training might mitigate much later unhappiness.”
- The Cosmic Palette: Astrology 101 by Haizen Paige
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Science vs. Astrology
• Scientists are skeptical of astrology because:
a. It takes power out of the hands of scientists.
b. It can’t be tested.
c. It has failed when tested.
d. It proposes forces that are non-physical.
e. It threatens our belief in a knowable universe.
• But no one believes astrology so who cares?
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Astrology and the President
“[Former
(TIME, May
White
16, 1988)
House
-- Chief of Staff, Donald] Regan and
others
make
a compelling
case that
inback
1986 and 1987
“The First
Lady
dabbled in astrology
as far
astrological
influence
dramatically
reduced the
as 1967. In 1981
[Joan] Quigley
made Nancy
[Reagan] a believer
…. And from
no by keeping
presidency's
effectiveness,
at then
leaston,
partly,
presidential
publicunder
appearance
was
slated
without
Ronald
Reagan
wraps
for
much
of the time.
the Friend's say-so. To this day, Nancy's Friend
Nancy's
intrusions in the scheduling process, Regan said
continues to influence the President's schedule.
inFor
anthe
interview
with TIME
last week,
‘began to interfere
Reagan-Gorbachev
Washington
summit,
with
thethe
normal
ofand
thedetermined
presidency.’”
she cast
charts conduct
of both men
(TIME, May 16, 1988)
that 2 p.m. on Dec. 8, 1987, was the most propitious moment for
them to sign the intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty. At
Nancy's behest, the entire summit was built around that hour. For
the upcoming Moscow summit, Gorbachev's chart (he is a Pisces)
has been recast alongside Reagan's (Aquarius).”
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Homework #3
•
Due Monday 16-Jan: Read Sg2 The Harmony of Worlds from
Cosmos and B5.3
1.
2.
Some assert that Kepler’s discovery represents the true birth of science
as it is now practiced. Describe why one would assert this (put your
answer in the context of this week’s discussion)?
Bennett, Chapter 5, Problem 23
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