Astrology and astronomy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the broader relation with science, see Astrology and science.

Astrology
Background
Traditions
Branches
Astrological signs
Symbols

Astrology and astronomy were archaically treated together (

17th century philosophy resulted in astrology and astronomy
operating as independent pursuits by the 18th century.

Whereas the academic discipline of astronomy studies observable phenomena beyond the Earth's atmosphere,[2][3][4] the pseudoscience of astrology uses the apparent positions of celestial objects as the basis for divination.[5][6][7]

Overview

compass in this 13th-century manuscript is a symbol of God's act of creation, as many believed that there was something intrinsically divine or perfect that could be found in circles
.

In pre-modern times, most cultures did not make a clear distinction between the two disciplines, putting them both together as one. In ancient

Copernicus), as Aristotle's geocentric model continued to be favored.) The Platonic school promoted the study of astronomy as a part of philosophy because the motions of the heavens demonstrate an orderly and harmonious cosmos. In the third century BC, Babylonian astrology began to make its presence felt in Greece. Astrology was criticized by Hellenistic philosophers such as the Academic Skeptic Carneades and Middle Stoic Panaetius. However, the notions of the Great Year
(when all the planets complete a full cycle and return to their relative positions) and eternal recurrence were Stoic doctrines that made divination and fatalism possible.

In the Hellenistic world, the Greek words 'astrologia' and 'astronomia' were often used interchangeably, but they were conceptually not the same. Plato taught about 'astronomia' and stipulated that planetary phenomena should be described by a geometrical model. The first solution was proposed by Eudoxus. Aristotle favored a physical approach and adopted the word 'astrologia'. Eccentrics and epicycles came to be thought of as useful fictions. For a more general public, the distinguishing principle was not evident and either word was acceptable. For the Babylonian horoscopic practice, the words specifically used were 'apotelesma' and 'katarche', but otherwise it was subsumed under the aristotelian term 'astrologia'.

In his compilatory work Etymologiae, Isidore of Seville noted explicitly the difference between the terms astronomy and astrology (Etymologiae, III, xxvii) and the same distinction appeared later in the texts of Arabian writers.[8] Isidore identified the two strands entangled in the astrological discipline and called them astrologia naturalis and astrologia superstitiosa.

Astrology was widely accepted in

Theosophy, and Hinduism).[citation needed
]

Distinguishing characteristics

Astrologer–astronomer Richard of Wallingford is shown measuring an equatorium with a pair of compasses in this 14th-century work.

The primary goal of astronomy is to understand the

astrological aspects, sign positions) with earthly events and human affairs. Astronomers consistently use the scientific method, naturalistic presuppositions and abstract mathematical reasoning to investigate or explain phenomena in the universe. Astrologers use mystical or religious reasoning as well as traditional folklore, symbolism and superstition
blended with mathematical predictions to explain phenomena in the universe. The scientific method is not consistently used by astrologers.

Astrologers practice their discipline

geocentrically[9][10] and they consider the universe to be harmonious, changeless and static, while astronomers have employed the scientific method to infer that the universe is without a center and is dynamic, expanding outward per the Big Bang theory.[11]

Astrologers believe that the position of the stars and planets determine an individual's personality and future. Astronomers study the actual stars and planets, but have found no evidence supporting astrological theories. Psychologists study personality, and while there are many theories of personality, no mainstream theories in that field are based on astrology. (The

Myers-Briggs personality typology, based on the works of Carl Jung
, has four major categories that correspond to the astrological elements of fire, air, earth, and water. This theory of personality is used by career counselors and life coaches but not by psychologists.)

Both astrologers and astronomers see Earth as being an integral part of the universe, that Earth and the universe are interconnected as one cosmos (not as being separate and distinct from each other). However, astrologers philosophically and mystically portray the cosmos as having a supernatural, metaphysical and divine essence that actively influences world events and the personal lives of people.[12] Astronomers, as members of the scientific community, cannot use in their scientific articles explanations that are not derived from empirically reproducible conditions, irrespective of their personal convictions.

Historical divergence

compass
here is an icon of religion as well as science, in reference to God as the architect of creation.

For a long time the funding from astrology supported some

Seven Liberal Arts. Kings and other rulers generally employed court astrologers to aid them in the decision making in their kingdoms, thereby funding astronomical research. University medical students were taught astrology as it was generally used in medical practice
.

Astronomy and astrology diverged over the course of the 17th through 19th centuries.

Copernicus did not practice astrology (nor empirical astronomy; his work was theoretical[13]), but the most important astronomers before Isaac Newton were astrologers by profession—Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo Galilei
.

Also relevant here was the development of better timekeeping instruments, initially for aid in navigation; improved timekeeping made it possible to make more exact astrological predictions—predictions which could be tested, and which consistently proved to be false.[14] By the end of the 18th century, astronomy was one of the major sciences of the Enlightenment model, using the recently codified scientific method, and was altogether distinct from astrology.

Astrology and Zodiac Signs in the Modern Age

Astrology is considered by many philosophers and astronomers to be a false representation of the universe that individuals may use to associate the movement of the celestial bodies to their own ideas of human life and spirituality. Although many scholars consider astrology to be a pseudoscience, those that believe in zodiac signs and their meanings will argue the opposite, and these followers will support their claims with explanations for how and why the universe is connected to the human condition. The most popular and well-known form of astrology is seen in horoscopes that people are exposed to through social media, popular news outlets, and digital media. The horoscopes allow people interested in astrology and

global culture.[16]

Constellation / Sign Symbol Unicode Character Historic Start Date[18] Historic End Date[18] Constellation Visibility Date Start (2002)[19] Constellation Visibility Date End (2002)[19]
Aries ♈︎ 21 March 20 April April 19 May 14
Taurus ♉︎ 21 April 21 May May 15 June 20
Gemini ♊︎ 22 May 21 June June 21 July 20
Cancer ♋︎ 22 June 23 July July 21 August 10
Leo ♌︎ 24 July 23 August August 11 September 16
Virgo ♍︎ 24 August 23 September September 17 October 31
Libra ♎︎ 24 September 23 October November 1 November 24
Scorpio ♏︎ 24 October 22 November November 25 November 29
Ophiuchus* ⛎︎ N/A N/A November 30 December 17
Sagittarius ♐︎ 23 November 21 December December 18 January 19
Capricorn ♑︎ 22 December 20 January January 20 February 16
Aquarius ♒︎ 21 January 19 February February 17 March 11
Pisces ♓︎ 20 February 20 March March 12 April 18

* Scorpio is not visible through the full period. Instead, the constellation Ophiuchus is visible during this time and so is a proposed 13th zodiac sign.[16]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0521403405
    .
  2. ^ "astronomy – Britannica Concise". Concise.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Ontario Science Centre: Glossary of Useful Scientific Terms". Ontariosciencecentre.ca. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  4. ^ "Outer Space Glossary". Library.thinkquest.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  5. ^ "astrology – Britannica Concise". Concise.britannica.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  6. ^ "The Skeptic Dictionary's entry on astrology". Skepdic.com. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Astrology". Bad Astronomy. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  8. S2CID 143941055
    .
  9. ^ "Astrology Terminology Dictionary". Skyviewzone.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  10. Bibcode:1984asas.book.....F
    . Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  11. ^ "The Big Bang and the Expansion of the Universe". Atlasoftheuniverse.com. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Realities in Astrology". Wisdomsgoldenrod.org. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  13. ^ Westman argued that his interest was indeed astrological and points that it would be an historical exception if he did not practice astrology; however there is just an indirect mention on record, see Westman R. (2011), The Copernican Question, University of California Press
  14. ^ "In our time: Astrology". BBC. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  15. S2CID 147050929
    .
  16. ^ a b c Kaler, James B. (24 January 2020). "Why your zodiac sign is probably wrong". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  17. S2CID 147050929
    .
  18. ^ a b Jeremy B. Tatum, "The Signs and Constellations of the Zodiac Archived 2023-06-01 at the Wayback Machine", Journal of the Royal Society of Canada, 104 (2010), 103--104.
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-0-521-49918-7
    .

Further reading

External links

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