Debunking Astrology: Myth in the Modern Era

If this were the SAT, the correct answer would be “Tom Cruise is to acting as astrology is to science,” barely believable. Astrology has been dubbed a pseudo-science, but more accurately falls in the realm of religion. Astrology has its true believers that will not be dissuaded, but the objective of this article is to lay out the facts of the matter and pose a few thought-provoking questions. Astrology is bad science at best and poor religion at worst.

A brief history
Astrology began as early civilizations tried to codify the natural world. These efforts led to the first calendars in pursuit of agricultural goals. Knowing that the appearance of a certain star on the horizon was the harbinger of Spring was crucial to the farming cycle. Predicting the Nile’s annual flood was pretty handy for the ancient Egyptians.

By reversing the order of cause and effect, it is a small, illogical step from “Spring comes as Antares (alpha Scorpius) rises at midnight,” to “Antares brings Spring.” It would be as logical to say, “The Sun causes hunger,” because you get hungry every day around noon.

Astrological systems were developed independently in every culture around the globe. Each was unique to its society. Beyond the need for a calendar, the Egyptian, Persian, Chinese, and Mayan astrological systems have very little in common. Each expands into its own mythology of gods and alchemy.

Today’s western astrology inherits most of its tenants from ancient Mesopotamia (Persia) and has been refined through Greco-Roman mythology with a healthy dash of medieval alchemy thrown in for good measure. This brings us to the first point against astrology as anything more than fancy.