Astrology as a Science? LOL

A letter to Times Group based on their Article "Why believe in Astrology?" published on Sunday September 20, 2009 in their Supplement, TIMES LIFE!

I am a regular reader of Times. I would like to respond to the Article "Why believe in Astrology?" by Sunita Chabra published in the Sunday Times Life supplement on September 20, 2009. The urge to respond came in when I read the sentence, "Astrology as a Science". Though I guess there must be many responses voting & vetoeing Ms. Chabra's manifestation, still I felt I would like to add my perspective.

First of all no offense to people who believe in Astrology; I am myself from a family(including my would be) which are ardent believers of Astrology of all forms. So, this is not an attack sans personal vendetta. Now, let us understand what is Science or how to define Science? I always say the following that Science can be defined in the following chronological steps -

1. Observation
2. Inference
3. Theorize or Formulate the observation & inference
4. Experiment to validate and verify the theory &/or formulation
5. Once confirmed with the above 4 steps, then believe it as law of nature or perhaps that is how it is made "by God"...

Astrology came as an offshoot of Astronomy. So the initial steps (from 1 to 3) are same with a minor difference @ 2 & 3.

• By observation it was understood that the positions of planets have patterns to accomodate in the space and they do have periodic motion. The planetary motions & their positions were predicted correctly with the help of Mathematics. But remember if they did not have periodic motion, locating them would have been as difficult as it is to locate a particle(electron) in Quantum Physics.
• Inference has so many misleading gestures - a) They are encircling Earth; which is natural to think so, but with Mathematics it was proved later that Earth is not the centre by Galileo when he saw Jupiter with its own set of moons meaning which each planet is a centre of its own satellites and not Earth the centre of the Universe. b) They affect people born on Earth. I really cannot comprehend why would people think so? What made them think so?
• Theory & Formulation were now only based on the above two beliefs. So argument ends here itself.
• Experimentation to validate has not been the goal till date. Ms. Chabra, Ms. Sunita Menon(of Tarot fame), Mr & Mrs. Jumani(of Numerology fame), Mr. Bejan Daruwala(of Sun Sign fame) and so many others known locally, personally and otherwise are now our messengers, interpreters and the soul window to our future exclusively authorized by the Gods or the Heavens. None of us want to validate what they say, instead we want to sit, wait & watch series of events with "dashas", "mahadashas", "muhurats" & "shubh-gharee" and conclude what they say is true, though some of it could be wrong.
• Some of this becomes the Law.
  

These are the type of ethos that make me sick. I am no Astronomer or Astrophysicist yet. I am a simple Science enthusiast just for the fact that it gives me the power to prove what Newton or Kepler claimed. I see what James Clark Maxwell, Ampere & Voltas proved. I use what Edison and Tesla gave to manking based on simple laws of Physics. When I am sick I go to doctor(read Ayurvedic, Allopathic, Homeopathic or any form that gives me relief) instead to an Astrologer. I believe so do every body who keenly read the Astrology column of every new paper every day.

What is it that makes people drawn towards Astrology when according to its base theory, "everything is pre-determined", & mankind cannot change it. Simply put, if I can't change it why know about it and live in fear? If joy is destined why try to know it? Some how the Gods and Heavens via these planetary motions have made Mankind powerless so why bother anyway? What does Astrology does beneficial to mankind compared to Science? So not only based on the above 4 points but even with this logic(if you choose not to believe Science) Astrology has no place in anyone's life except for Astrologers to make it as an occupation. Still keeping it as a hope, I would say that the day, Astrology is able to validate experimentally its predictions umpteen times, my vote will go for it. Another important distinction is no two Astrologers speak the same or predict the same where as Science in India and Europe is same. One does not see Newton's Laws behave differently in India or Sri Lanka. Newton's Laws are basically Laws of Nature(in this case the Motion) so Newton does not have any hegemony on it.

Last, I would like to manifest the article Questions and answers given in the order -

• Why should we believe in Astrology? - The answer is Numerology's Father was Pythagoras and John Kepler being credited to some of the discoveries in Astrology and hence we need to believe it. Also it mentions about "Astrology is science of Stars" and based on "belief that their position influences human life". Well first, Pythagoras was indeed the father of Numerology, but with a difference. Numerology today is studies as Number Theory and has umpteen applications in Science and Technology(for example - Cryptography + Comp Science). By definition it was Number Logic. Pythagoras was also a theolgian(meaning believer of God) and hence he believed Numbers have supreme power or God speaks in Mathematics. Why? Well it was his way of interpreting it. He was human after all and human beliefs and imagination have no boundaries. We are not born with names, but once christened we answer to the call. What is that? Belief! There are many other forms of belief and they could be only without proof. Technically one can discuss within the realm of psychology and behavioral science to understand how does our mind understands and makes a perspective of things. But that was just my indication to point Human Beliefs. Secondly, it is Johannes Kepler and not John Kepler. Kepler lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, but there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts) and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason. So, though planetary motions can be predicted based on Mathematics, but they influence our lives has not substantial Mathematical(read Scientific) evidence. Hence, your answer that we should believe in Astrology because it is based on Mathematics and these Mathematicians have contributed to its development is absolutely misleading.
• Is the daily horoscope equally true for everybody of that sun sign? - Your answer was itself so misleading that I laughed to my heart's content. You said, it is generally true and there were references to Lunar Sign & Zodiac Sign as the right reference to be taken to convince onself for the daily prediction. So my Lunar Sign is Taurus(Rishabh) and Zodiac Sign is Sagittarius(Dhanu), I should be checking out both, make an average and draw conclusion, is that what you mean? How is this justifying? What if I refer, Midday, Mumbai Mirror, Times of India & DNA, by mathematics, I am supposed to read 8 columns of daily horoscope written by 4 different astrologers, who have interpreted "heavenly messages" in their own way, add to this our family astrologer (yes! we have a family astrologer like family doctor). I guess in a day I am going to spend 2 hours in convincing myself my 8 hour work, 3 hours travel and 6 hours sleep(thanks to my work and my bosses). This is what again is illogical. Astrologers are always contradicting. Why? 2+2 is always 4. Why contradict? Once again, your answer sounds like "foot in the mouth".
• How can the lines on our palm predict the future? - The answer once again was a mass of bewilderment. It brought everything together, karma and consequences etc being the cause & effect duo responsible for our lives. While it makes absolute sense that my actions will lead to the results what I get but how does it validate "palmistry" ? What the lines of plams have got to do with my actions and results? Originator of Palmistry was Sage Valmiki. I can give you a lecture on who he was and what he actually meant by reading lines on the palms in the Scientific sense sans Astrology, but right now I would just emphasize that the Palm Lines are just gooves caused due to blood flow and the variable body temperature. None of this leads to prediction of fate.
• How can planetary positions and energies affect our lives? - This was the most convincing answer that Astrology is indeed just a belief and nothing more than that. It is said, "it is possible to change the course of destiny, but only through karmas", how true? Some how it gives a dual answer and a paradox actually. a)Planetary positions govern our life. b)We can change our destiny through karma. Does it mean then we can change the planetary positions? LOL! What exactly is the point to be made? Please do not misguide people with sets of thoughts that are so contradictory. Many actually take Astrologers very, very seriously but they are people with no knowledge and no confidence at all on themselves.
• Does the time you are born affect your destiny? - The answer cleanly vindicates all Astrologers. If one does not say or know the right time, Astrologers cannot predict the life. I have no argument on this escapism. I agree with the escapism cum logic.
• Are there some astrology streams that are more effective than others? - The answer that "Astrology has suffered many attacks" & "some ancience scriptures have been destroyed or taken away by invaders etc" is the crux of Astrology's existence. If things are lost in time, it has to be studied. I am all up for it. I am yet to see an Astrologer who is actively involved in Research. But no! All of them follow the same scripts which are tattered and half manifested. Keeping an open mind I would say, why not give Astrology a chance. But no one seems to be taking it as a cause. So today we are hearing from Astrologers who are actually having half knowledge.
  

I would like to end this mail saying that, eradicating Astrology is not my aim. I would just like to see if it is Scientific. You know that way, instead of Astrology, Science becomes more powerful and anything that is not Scienitific is hard to believe for me. I also don't buy this argument by some of my kins that "everything cannot be proved." Wrong! This was the thought in the past and if it remained so, mankind would have not landed on moon, made cure and treatment for many diseases and would have made no progress beyond discovering fire by rubbing stones. I also believe ancient Indian "Rishi Munis" must have been the same type of Scientists that we have in our premier R & D Orgs such as IIT, TIFR, IISc. but they were misinterpreted eventually. Their scripts first of all were lost and the ones which transcended could have been partially misinterpreted too. Like in case of Astrology the off shoot of Astronomy, as planetary motion influencing us with not scientific base.

PLEASE ASK THE ASTROLOGERS IN RESEARCHING WHAT WAS LOST INSTEAD OF MAKING MONEY OUT OF THEIR COMMUNICATION SKILLS. FOR GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS THERE ARE PROFESSIONS NOW A DAYS(INSTEAD OF IN THE PAST) LIKE MARKETING, SALES AND BPO. I can connect them if they want only if they don't want to mint money unscrupluously.