How do you view astrology?

I think astrology is pure hogwash.

Having said that, it seems more rational than religion, if not to the extent that its supporters would imply.

Look at it this way... The season you are born in, a function of your birthday, would mean that your earliest experiences would be different. Born in winter, you'd be rugged under blanket, in summer you'd be half naked in your crib. So, imo, people born around the same date, in the same place, would have similar early experience and, if those are deterministic in any way, would make for later developing similar traits.

As I said, it is hogwash, imo, just slightly less unreasonable than religion. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] At the very least, you can give it a pretense of reasonableness.

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Astrology addiction is more indicative of inherent problems with brain/mind structure

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So is a heroin addiction.

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Heroin addiction is easier to cure because you only need to deal with the specific addictive nature that herion is laying on the person. You can become heroin addicted by forced injection or twists on that, you don't need a certain type of mind in order to 'accept' the addiction.

It's not just a matter of an 'addictive personality'... if you get hooked on herion you're hooked, no types of people excluded. Astrology, otoh, requires something faulty in the reasoning dept, and astrology is just evidence of it, it's not the cause.

luckyme

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That's wrong - addicts have a different brain chemistry and physiology. It's true that in some imaginable situation, say a person administered opiates as an anasthetic over a period of time, could develop a physical dependency. But after detox the cravings would go. That person isn't an addict, addiction is biological, and when people refer to an 'addictive personality', the reference is to that brain chemistry. You're an addict in the same way you're, for instance, gay.

Addiction can be treated but it can't be cured, hence the expression 'once an addict always an addict'.

A belief in astrology may or may not have some basis in brain wiring, but it certainly can be changed - people change their idealogies and beliefs all the time.

Asides from any of that, I'm sure the original remark was throwaway/semi-humourous - nobody in their right mind would wish heroin addiction on their child over a belief in astrology.



As a sidenote - I read an interesting piece on astrology somewhere once. It was arguing that newborn brain development is largely governed by atmospheric pressure and gravitational forces, which changes seasonally, and as a result of planetary movement. And was suggesting that astrology had some vague scientific basis as a loose and symbolic representation of that.

[hmkpoker]

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Addiction can be treated but it can't be cured, hence the expression 'once an addict always an addict'.

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No, it can be cured. It's harder in some than others, though.

To quote Dr. Frinkx
"The one true science"

[valenzuela]

the arguments like:
-"virgo are the older ones in the class so they are slightly more paasive, while Leo more agressive."
Are absolutely nonsense. I was born in Chile and actually Aries(picsis in some schools)are the oldest one in the class because school starts in March. Please note that since Im a chilean cancer I was born in Winter instead of summer.
Btw I do know about ascendant and stuff, hmpoker...ok I might do an experiment, I will post it on OOTF. But I need to gather a lot of info first.

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Addiction can be treated but it can't be cured, hence the expression 'once an addict always an addict'.

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No, it can be cured. It's harder in some than others, though.

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You can treat addicts in so far as you can get an addict to stop using. But addiction to drugs like heroin permanently alters brain chemistry. A recovered addict can never be an occasional user of an addictive substance in the way a non-addict can be, so can never be 'cured' - the compulsivity remains and needs to be continually monitored. That's really not my opinion, so much as it's accross the board accepted wisdom in addiction medicine.

And, I wasn't for one minute suggesting astrology is something I think has much merit, I was just mentioning that article because I thought it was interesting [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[hmkpoker]

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Btw I do know about ascendant and stuff, hmpoker...ok I might do an experiment, I will post it on OOTF. But I need to gather a lot of info first.

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Don't waste your time. It would be pretty expensive to do it correctly, and I doubt you will.

[chezlaw]

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Btw I do know about ascendant and stuff, hmpoker...ok I might do an experiment, I will post it on OOTF. But I need to gather a lot of info first.

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Don't waste your time. It would be pretty expensive to do it correctly, and I doubt you will.

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and you dont need any evidence to realise that astrology is bogus.

chez

[hmkpoker]

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Btw I do know about ascendant and stuff, hmpoker...ok I might do an experiment, I will post it on OOTF. But I need to gather a lot of info first.

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Don't waste your time. It would be pretty expensive to do it correctly, and I doubt you will.

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and you dont need any evidence to realise that astrology is bogus.

chez

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No, but other people do.

[chezlaw]

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Btw I do know about ascendant and stuff, hmpoker...ok I might do an experiment, I will post it on OOTF. But I need to gather a lot of info first.

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Don't waste your time. It would be pretty expensive to do it correctly, and I doubt you will.

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and you dont need any evidence to realise that astrology is bogus.

chez

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No, but other people do.

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I've never seen any evidence of that [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] or more precisley I never seen a believer in credulous theory X make correct use of evidence to stop believing in that theory. You do get people who believe X because of positive results who then stop believing X because of negative results, but they're just making the same mistake twice.

chez