Thu, 15. October 2009
Ten Questions to ask an astrologer
1. Is the astroLoGical force, which astroLoGers believe exerts an influence on our lives, one of the four known forces of nature? If not, what is the nature of the force?
2. Why is it that only certain bodies are considered to exert an astroLoGical force or 'influence'? Why is it that only one dwarf planet, Pluto, is considered whilst other dwarf planets such as Ceres, Eris, Haumeah and Makemake ignored?
3. Can astroLoGers use the effects of their astroLoGical force on human affairs to predict the existance of an otherwise unknown solar system body?
4. Why are the effects of precession of the constellations ignored by astroLoGers?
5. Why would an astroloGer say (for example) that Pluto is in Capricorn (does he mean Capricornus?), when it is actually in Sagittarius?
6. Are you genuinely living in an astrological fairlyland or are you actually aware of the lack of basis of astrology and are simply playing the gullible for what you can get out of them?
7. Does the astroLoGical force make any predictions about the life of (say) a chimpanzee; or a cocker spaniel; or a shark; or a budgerigar? Or are these forces only applicable to human beings. If so, why; and if not why not? Why would a hedghog not be affected by the same forces as a human?
8. Why does the power of the Sun and the close proximity of the Moon not overide all other astroLoGical influences?
9. Why do horoscope writers all base their 'influences' of the planets on the supposed nature of the planet, as determined by the name of the Greek/Roman god that the planet is named after. e.g. Neptune has to do with water etc. The names were given arbitrarily by humans, without any knowledge of the nature of the planets themselves. This is especially the case for 'modern' planets such as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto whose names were given by Astronomical (NOT astroLoGical) committees.
10. Why are horoscope predictions always so vague that they could apply to any person, regardless of their so-called 'star sign'?
11. If there is such a thing as an astroLoGical force, why is the application of that force variable, depending upon the approximate location of the planet Earth in it's own orbit at the time of each person's birth; and why are those orbit locations divided into only twelve zones? Why not (say) thirty or three hundred and sixty five? Or even thirteen, which is the number of actual constellations that straddle the ecliptic?
Acknowledgements to the artist at www.cartoonstock.com
12. If two people are born at exactly the same time but are born into different "star signs" - as might occur if they were born in very close proximity but either side of the International Date Line – how could an astroLoGer predict different possible outcomes for these two people?
13. If two people are born into different cultures at exactly the same time and are designated the same "star sign", how can any horoscope predict the same outcomes for these two people, who may be living under entirely different conditions (e.g affluence & squalor; health & ill-health; criminal & law-abiding; violent & peaceful)?
14. What work is carried out by a so-called 'astroLoGical research centre'? Does it research the nature of the astroLoGical force? Does it publish a regular statistical analysis which establishes the percentage of certain predictions that succeed and fail? Does it carry out empirical research which logs the success of major predictions? Does it analyse the statistical correlation between succesful astroLoGical predictions and pure chance?
15. Why do we never see in the media long lists of successful astroLoGical predictions? Or even short lists of astonishingly successful predictions?
16. Why are horoscopes written by various astroLoGers for the same time period and for the same 'star sign' not the same?
17. Why have astroLoGers not adapted their belief system in line with the changed knowledge of the Universe and it's physical laws since the invention of these beliefs in Medieval times?
18. If someone is born under a particular star sign under daylight saving but would have been born under an adjacent 'star sign' if daylight saving was not in force, which sign would the astroLoGer follow?
19. What is the meaning of astroLoGical? It is nothing to do with modern Astronomy and it is certainly not 'Logical'!
Further information via this short but brilliant video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haP7Ys9o ... re=related (questions 6 &9 attributable to my friend Robert Bee in a Forum debate).