| From: Benjamin Peterson | 5/05/99
14:17:09 |
| Subject: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9697 |
| Dr Karl, > >thanks for starting to read a letter/post from someone you have never met. > >ANYWAY! > >Have you seen the movie "Contact" with Jodie Foster? > >I was watching it the other day and it made me think (for once). > >The Gyroscopic effect that created the negative or anti gravity Zone in >the centre of the MAchine made me think about our universe. > >If we live in three physical dimensions. > >And they are being simutaneously effected by bodies rotating >(galaxies-planets-solar systems etc) at all time...them wouldn't our >relative gravity/anti-gravity/positiion in space/time be effected by the >forces of these other planets? > >Is this how Astrology started? > >THanks mate! > >Benjamin Peterson Dear Benjamin (please call me Karl), Thanks for the really good question. Could you possibly post it on the Self Serve Science Section of the Signal to Noise section of our homepage, as I feel very confident that some of the fellow surfers will be able to post a knowledgable answer? I will also then be able to try to answer it on-air. It makes more sense to have the question, and the answer, offered to as many people as possible. | |
| From: Chris (Avatar) | 5/05/99
14:28:51 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9701 |
Astrology is one of the oldest "sciences". Stargazers from ancient times were known variously as astrologers or "wise men". It is only recently that mechanistic determinism and a hefty slap over the wrists from the medieval church forced the distinction of the reputable "astronomy" (watching, cataloguing, describing the heavens) from "astrology" (attempting to interpret their influence on people). These days there are additional distinctions: astrophysics, cosmology, etc. Two of the four fundamental interactions of nature - gravity and electro-magnetism - have fields which extend effectively forever. In this sense, in theory, every object in the universe which has mass is affected by every object which gravitates, and every object with charge (loosely) is affected by every electro or magnetic field. Astrology does, to a primitive extent, attempt to describe the effect of different astronomical objects on people in these two ways - however there is no explicit understanding of gravitation or e/m in astrology. But the principle is - at least - sound in theory. Hope this fires 'em up! Chris | |
| From: Horace | 5/05/99
15:15:36 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9703 |
| Astrology does, to a primitive
extent, attempt to describe the effect of different astronomical objects
on people in these two ways - however there is no explicit understanding
of gravitation or e/m in astrology. I've never heared about Astrology using e/m theory. (Not saying I don't believe you but I would like you to expand on this.) I thought gravitational descriptions of the phenomenon are recent inventions used to defend astrology's validity. After all, wasn't astrology around for longer than knowledge of gravity. | |
| From: Terry Frankcombe | 5/05/99
15:50:14 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9710 |
| The Gyroscopic
effect that created the negative or anti gravity Zone in the centre of the
MAchine made me think about our universe. That is why it is called science fiction. | |
| From: Mark Dawson | 5/05/99
16:13:15 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9716 |
| I think it was the ancient
Babylonians would created astrology. That said, it is a load of
rubbish. If you have a proper atsrolgical chart done on yourself (I haven't), they require an exact time of birth, etc. to ensure accuracy. They then attribute influences (powers) over your life to the different astrological bodies. Pluto is one of these. Pluto was dicovered in 1930 after several years searching. It had been theorised that there was an extra planet beyond Neptune due to variations in its orbit. Surely if Pluto (or any astrological body) caused an influence on your life, the influence should be visible to an astrologers before 1930, even though it's existance was unknown. | |
| From: Chris (Avatar) | 5/05/99
16:59:35 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9724 |
Horace Of course astrology doesn't even approach e/m , or gravity. Astrology merely recognises what "Dirk Gently" (of douglas adams fame) would call "the fundamental interconnectedness of all things". And you're right, early astronomy predates radially infinite fields (eg gravity and e/m) and has simply absorbed the long range effects of gravity, magnetism, etc as a supporting mechanism for what it already preached. Be careful not to equate ancient astrology by what you read in the newspaper from the pen of "athena starwoman" or whoever. It was basically the "science" which eventually gave birth to the astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology of today. There is no doubt that the gravitational and magnetic fields of bodies in this solar system affect people on earth - but it's not so straight forward to analyse what those effects are!! | |
| From: Sue | 5/05/99
17:27:31 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9731 |
| But the
principle is - at least - sound in theory. What? How could present-day astrology possibly have any scientific basis whatsoever? How could the position of stars relative to the earth possibly have any influence on a person's character and the unravelling of their life experiences? It's ridiculous! Might as well assign such mystical properties to dandruff! | |
| From: Halogen Fisk | 5/05/99
18:29:26 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9744 |
| OK, shoot me down in flames here, but isn't astrology a Calender? the position of planets against the star background, was an
ancient naturally humans look for patterns in things & tried to find
rythms ..... but primarily related to the stars as a calender
NOT p.s. Ancient humans were not stupid, just poorly informed. | |
| From: Sue | 5/05/99
19:19:38 |
| Subject: re: Is Astrology just REALLY old Astro-physics? | post id:
9752 |
| To what I said before, let me
just add a few observations: People tend to be patchworks. And then somebody comes along and says, "Oh, look at your stubbornness, etc etc, that's because you're Aries." If people looked just a little further, they might also see that person's creative drive, their warmth towards others, and the dozens of other significant character traits they possess. Of course, had that person been introduced as an Aquarius, astrology enthusiasts would have gone looking for the particular traits to fit that particular category. And found them! The role of genes and environment in character development should not be ignored in favour of hocuspocus. I think astrology is yet another example of people trying to stuff something complex into a little box which is less threatening to their intellect. A nice, simplistic, comforting answer. Just like organised religion. Science? | |