Minderwiz
I don't often have rants on this forum but the thread on the zodiac that have recently been posted lead me to one. Those thread have been a way of getting good information out to members of the forum and I applaud them.
My problem is that the offending articles that gave rise to them see Astrology as little more than Sun signs and their characteristics. Both Dave and I have criticised these in the past because they give a distorted and oversimplified view of Astrology - I now have come to the conclusion that they are actually harmful to Astrology.
It might be argued that any prediction is better than no prediction but a prediction based on such generalised information can at best be accurate at random and will probably hold for only a small proportion of the group for which it was intended. At worst it will lead to a recognition of the obvious discrepancy between reality and the forecast and thus a dismissal of Astrology as meaningful.
Perhaps even worse than believing or not believing in these columns is the view of many of their readers, that they are 'a bit of fun'.
These columns also give ammunition to journalists and other critics of Astrology - a rod to beat us with, these columns are silly and they allow critics to make fun of Astrology
Astrology is thus no longer a noble art, it is a small bit of entertainment that can be quickly read over breakfast and laughed at by its critics. For an art that used to be taught in universities, that is a shameful situation.
What is worse is that these columns are written by (or more likely fronted by) professional Astrologers who use them as a 'nice little earner' from the press. It is rare that a science (in the true sense of the word) is brought into public ridicule by the mercenary actions of it's own members.
Please try and spread the word to your friends that such columns are to be treated as rubbish and do not represent Astrology, either in it's traditional or it's modern incarnations.
And please also tell them that seeing themselves as Virgoes, or Capricorns, or Geminis, etc is not good - Astrology is far richer than Sun signs.
Rant over
My problem is that the offending articles that gave rise to them see Astrology as little more than Sun signs and their characteristics. Both Dave and I have criticised these in the past because they give a distorted and oversimplified view of Astrology - I now have come to the conclusion that they are actually harmful to Astrology.
It might be argued that any prediction is better than no prediction but a prediction based on such generalised information can at best be accurate at random and will probably hold for only a small proportion of the group for which it was intended. At worst it will lead to a recognition of the obvious discrepancy between reality and the forecast and thus a dismissal of Astrology as meaningful.
Perhaps even worse than believing or not believing in these columns is the view of many of their readers, that they are 'a bit of fun'.
These columns also give ammunition to journalists and other critics of Astrology - a rod to beat us with, these columns are silly and they allow critics to make fun of Astrology
Astrology is thus no longer a noble art, it is a small bit of entertainment that can be quickly read over breakfast and laughed at by its critics. For an art that used to be taught in universities, that is a shameful situation.
What is worse is that these columns are written by (or more likely fronted by) professional Astrologers who use them as a 'nice little earner' from the press. It is rare that a science (in the true sense of the word) is brought into public ridicule by the mercenary actions of it's own members.
Please try and spread the word to your friends that such columns are to be treated as rubbish and do not represent Astrology, either in it's traditional or it's modern incarnations.
And please also tell them that seeing themselves as Virgoes, or Capricorns, or Geminis, etc is not good - Astrology is far richer than Sun signs.
Rant over