To judge astrology based on partial and superficial research about it is something sad and surprising coming from you. The astrological characteristics of a person do not depend solely on their sun position, as this poor research made it appear. The natal astrological chart is much more complex than what you presented in this outrageously superficial article. The person's sun position is influenced by many other planets. A respectable scientific inquiry should take into account the intricate system of astrology and not focus on a single planet in isolation. You need to assess the validity of astrology on its own terms, considering its complex system of operation. A Leo individual can perfectly be introverted if their sun is in certain interactions with other planets. You need to assess the validity of astrology on its own terms, considering its complex system of operation. For example, a Leo individual can perfectly be introverted if their sun is in certain interactions with other planets. The perspective you brought to astrology is as shallow as you made it seem.
Honestly, this is such an uncompelling article. It shows a total lack of knowledge about astrology and it is honestly condescending speaking to an audience about a topic you have 0 knowledge on and infantilizing with the little nods to each sign sprinkled in. Astrology is a way more complex system than the sun sign astrology you are writing about here. The research is so weak. Actual astrologers should be tested for accuracy in describing key areas or themes in peoples lives based on their unique charts, not frickin sun sign astrology. I like a lot of your content Adam, but sometimes you make me roll my eyes. And for the record I’m not a conspiracy theorist. Your point about causation sounds more like correlation. Show that astrology leads to believing 9/11 was planned if astrology is a gateway drug. Boring article and I’ve seen it all before. 1/10
Your point is well taken, but I am hesitant to take on any worldview in which the "others" who believe the "nonsense" need to be "corrected." The air of certainty with which we engage in dialogue about explorations of the unknown could use some re-thinking. The strong and powerful have preyed on the weak and vulnerable for too long. Would we also call an ancestral or indigenous belief system harmful? Simply because it collides with the evidence provided by our broken, depressed, war-ridden, divided modern culture?
When people who tend towards the mystical are judged and dismissed by the powers-that-be, we leave people nowhere else to turn for community, connection, and exploration. In my limited perspective, the gateway drug to conspiracy theories is the ongoing inaccessibility of "the evidence," which is often still reserved for elite groups of "smart" people and used as a mechanism for looking down on their fellow humans.
I long to live in a world where mystic and scientist can engage in open-hearted explorations of the unknown. That requires compassion, not judgment.
I invite you to re-think this post, offering a little more compassion to any person who turns to their most available source of information through times of difficulty and uncertainty.
The only part of this article that I enjoyed was the talk about the societal implications of people adopting astrology (and other systems) without critical thinking. Aside from that, I feel that this reeked of bias and lack of understanding of the millenia-old discipline of astrology. It seems like the author didn't even bother to do any research beyond pop astrology and sun signs. I would love to see a critical analysis of astrology that comes from a depth of understanding of this system rather than a position of scientific and moral superiority.
This was a very disappointing read. Anyone who knows anything about astrology knows you can't just take your sun sign and base all permanent personality traits off of it. Many who subscribe to astrological ideologies do so responsibly. Many do not base major life decisions off their horoscope or where the planets lie. To suggest that all who prescribe to astrology are easily misled and don't know what they're talking about is really disappointing, coming from you. This article sounds like you read astrology for dummies and wrote it. Really disappointed.
This is a very surprising post. In Think Again, you said "Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.” Sadly you are not practicing what you preach here. When racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other actual harmful (in some cases deadly) biases are rampant, astrology does not feel like it falls in the same category as "harm." And the notion that there is a mind, body, spirit connection between humans and the universe is an ancient belief system and in dismissing this you are discounting centuries of indigenous wisdom that in my opinion is a lot more helpful and inspiring than an astrology takedown piece.
You had me until - religion can’t be falsified. Because we all know that it can and it has been - for centuries no less. This post reeks of privilege and cultural insensitivity. Let’s see the data on the harms of organized religions starting with Christianity.
Astrology is about far more than sun signs and personality. Each natal chart is infinitely unique and nuanced.
Astrology is an archetypal language and a form of wisdom that helps us navigate our lives. It can be used to study life cycles and identify patterns that give meaning to our experiences as we process them. It can help us sense the eternal within the midst of impermanance. The planets don't cause things to happen - they are symbolic mirrors.
The word psychology means study of the soul/psyche and astrology is one means of circuambulating and contemplating the soul. By contrast, the language of science, which plagues psychology with its case studies, jargon, and metrics "insults the soul," as depth psychologist James Hillman wrote. "It would sterilize metaphors into abstractions. We are made ill because *it* is ill."
Science has become the litmus test for what is true or not. But for some of us: "Our conception of the universe is profoundly altered if we consider it holistically, as a living system, rather than as a meaningless body of inert matter with a machine-like operation. Human beings can then be seen as integral parts of a larger cosmic organism, as vital components of the living cosmos. We are not, in this view, just inhabitants of a random universe, blindly moved by mechanical forces; rather, we are intimately connected parts of a larger organic whole." (Keiron Le Grice)
P.S. The archetype of Virgo does not mean spinster. It isn't about chastity and in the Greek world simply meant "unmarried." The original meaning of the word means, essentially, "one-in-herself." The Virgo symbol in astrology represents the process of making a crop edible and the care and concern taken to improve things. Virgo knows when something is ready to be harvested and is attentive to the details because its livelihood depends on how well the harvest does. Virgo has a genuine desire to improve things.
I’m very surprised with this quite superficial critic to astrology. I’m not an expert but I can tell this does not encompass the complexities of astrology but rather perhaps researched the 3-line newspaper version of a Sunday horoscope. Also, for some people (not my case) astrology it’s almost like a religion. To go head-on against such a topic in a superficial way is the shortest path to losing credibility, and does nothing but create division along those who comment: those who believe and those who don’t. Perhaps a great marketing strategy to boost engagement?
What would have made this a well-rounded article for me and shored up your claim that you are open-minded (at least based on the quote about you at the top of the article), would have been to hear about your personal experience going to an astrologer. There is no curiosity in this article. Only judgment.
Any astrologer worth their salt will tell you that the way energy was moving in the universe when you were born (which is difficult to see as wholly irrelevant to those who understand that we are all energetic beings) is a set of data to be leveraged for self awareness. NOT a “sentence” or static description of your personality. There are no unbending definitions. Just context. Context that many people find comforting and useful during transformation processes especially. Maybe in China it’s “harmful” when used as a generalization but it’s a crazy stretch to say this crusade (pun INTENDED - religion has hurt FAR more human lives than astrology with its inherent artifice as the weapon) of yours is helping change anything actually damaging. So disappointing.
I have been studying Astrology, Numerology, Mayan Astrology, Tarot for years, not as a practitioner but as a hobby. I really wanted to understand why so many feel there’s truth on all of these languages. And maybe that’s the thing: these are just languages to access the imaginary world we all live in. Sure, you’ll say Science is very real but still, as humans, we live in an imaginary world made of a shared horizon of meanings that are not always scientifically true. So… this means everyone is living a fantasy? Yes and no. So I will disagree Adam with your thesis that people who uses Astrology to explore their feelings and personalities is lacking of a critical mind: I bet is actually the opposite. They’re invested in being critical but they’re just using a different set of tools to access that reality. Sure: now it seems obvious that those tools can’t be as precise as other tools scientists have developed right? But that’s also part of our common horizon of beliefs for contemporary culture. Science is not perfect either, it’s also evolving and recognizing mistakes. So maybe, all of these very ancient languages have something useful in them that made them survive over the years, because the most amazing thing is that Astrology doesn’t have an institution that works to keep it from oblivion, it’s being kept alive by people. All the knowledge is free and easy to access. Nobody needs to pay good money to learn Astrology so it’s not “protected” and “gatekeeped” by institutions. It’s very democratic knowledge as well. But it’s complex and often people just over simplify: same happens with many sets of information, you know it. So don’t ditch Astrology just yet: have you studied the correlations between all of these languages? It’s quite fascinating. Maybe it’s just that they’re describing something we don’t have all the means to understand with our other ‘more scientific’ languages yet: energies, invisible bonds, amazing coincidences and happenings. I wonder if you really gave this a proper look, because the people you’re describing as “astrology fans” is not the people I know. I got me thinking that maybe is really culturally dependent: Americans don’t talk Astrology the way Indians do, or the way Argentinians do. Not all can speak and understand the language. It’s like me asking for directions in Paris.
This is one of those posts that I’ll save and flag and Evernote…and generally keep anywhere I’ll go to look for it. *Thank you* for finding this data! The power of suggestion is so strong and yet so many of us (me included, I’m sure!), think we’re immune.
But I’ll save this article for another reason: how gently you broke the news to believers, and presented your case without disparaging them. As I say in my work, people want to be seen as smart, capable and good — and that’s especially true when you’re upsetting their assumptions.
Yes! It causes damage. When my husband had a stroke, a friend of mine who believes in this stuff gave me this horoscopy thing about what it meant. It was about him hiding, being anxious, etc. I was so angry…like I really needed to hear that. Well, it turned out the source of his stroke was a heart birth defect. Friendship has never been the same since. What I found as just quirky, exploratory hobby before for me became a question of character.
Your biased and flippant tone belies the fact that the roots of mathematics and science are linked to thousands of years of astrology. There is so much more than the common perception you described. Please step back from commenting on what you don't understand.
To judge astrology based on partial and superficial research about it is something sad and surprising coming from you. The astrological characteristics of a person do not depend solely on their sun position, as this poor research made it appear. The natal astrological chart is much more complex than what you presented in this outrageously superficial article. The person's sun position is influenced by many other planets. A respectable scientific inquiry should take into account the intricate system of astrology and not focus on a single planet in isolation. You need to assess the validity of astrology on its own terms, considering its complex system of operation. A Leo individual can perfectly be introverted if their sun is in certain interactions with other planets. You need to assess the validity of astrology on its own terms, considering its complex system of operation. For example, a Leo individual can perfectly be introverted if their sun is in certain interactions with other planets. The perspective you brought to astrology is as shallow as you made it seem.
Honestly, this is such an uncompelling article. It shows a total lack of knowledge about astrology and it is honestly condescending speaking to an audience about a topic you have 0 knowledge on and infantilizing with the little nods to each sign sprinkled in. Astrology is a way more complex system than the sun sign astrology you are writing about here. The research is so weak. Actual astrologers should be tested for accuracy in describing key areas or themes in peoples lives based on their unique charts, not frickin sun sign astrology. I like a lot of your content Adam, but sometimes you make me roll my eyes. And for the record I’m not a conspiracy theorist. Your point about causation sounds more like correlation. Show that astrology leads to believing 9/11 was planned if astrology is a gateway drug. Boring article and I’ve seen it all before. 1/10
Your point is well taken, but I am hesitant to take on any worldview in which the "others" who believe the "nonsense" need to be "corrected." The air of certainty with which we engage in dialogue about explorations of the unknown could use some re-thinking. The strong and powerful have preyed on the weak and vulnerable for too long. Would we also call an ancestral or indigenous belief system harmful? Simply because it collides with the evidence provided by our broken, depressed, war-ridden, divided modern culture?
When people who tend towards the mystical are judged and dismissed by the powers-that-be, we leave people nowhere else to turn for community, connection, and exploration. In my limited perspective, the gateway drug to conspiracy theories is the ongoing inaccessibility of "the evidence," which is often still reserved for elite groups of "smart" people and used as a mechanism for looking down on their fellow humans.
I long to live in a world where mystic and scientist can engage in open-hearted explorations of the unknown. That requires compassion, not judgment.
I invite you to re-think this post, offering a little more compassion to any person who turns to their most available source of information through times of difficulty and uncertainty.
The only part of this article that I enjoyed was the talk about the societal implications of people adopting astrology (and other systems) without critical thinking. Aside from that, I feel that this reeked of bias and lack of understanding of the millenia-old discipline of astrology. It seems like the author didn't even bother to do any research beyond pop astrology and sun signs. I would love to see a critical analysis of astrology that comes from a depth of understanding of this system rather than a position of scientific and moral superiority.
This was a very disappointing read. Anyone who knows anything about astrology knows you can't just take your sun sign and base all permanent personality traits off of it. Many who subscribe to astrological ideologies do so responsibly. Many do not base major life decisions off their horoscope or where the planets lie. To suggest that all who prescribe to astrology are easily misled and don't know what they're talking about is really disappointing, coming from you. This article sounds like you read astrology for dummies and wrote it. Really disappointed.
This is a very surprising post. In Think Again, you said "Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.” Sadly you are not practicing what you preach here. When racism, sexism, xenophobia, and other actual harmful (in some cases deadly) biases are rampant, astrology does not feel like it falls in the same category as "harm." And the notion that there is a mind, body, spirit connection between humans and the universe is an ancient belief system and in dismissing this you are discounting centuries of indigenous wisdom that in my opinion is a lot more helpful and inspiring than an astrology takedown piece.
You had me until - religion can’t be falsified. Because we all know that it can and it has been - for centuries no less. This post reeks of privilege and cultural insensitivity. Let’s see the data on the harms of organized religions starting with Christianity.
Astrology is about far more than sun signs and personality. Each natal chart is infinitely unique and nuanced.
Astrology is an archetypal language and a form of wisdom that helps us navigate our lives. It can be used to study life cycles and identify patterns that give meaning to our experiences as we process them. It can help us sense the eternal within the midst of impermanance. The planets don't cause things to happen - they are symbolic mirrors.
The word psychology means study of the soul/psyche and astrology is one means of circuambulating and contemplating the soul. By contrast, the language of science, which plagues psychology with its case studies, jargon, and metrics "insults the soul," as depth psychologist James Hillman wrote. "It would sterilize metaphors into abstractions. We are made ill because *it* is ill."
Science has become the litmus test for what is true or not. But for some of us: "Our conception of the universe is profoundly altered if we consider it holistically, as a living system, rather than as a meaningless body of inert matter with a machine-like operation. Human beings can then be seen as integral parts of a larger cosmic organism, as vital components of the living cosmos. We are not, in this view, just inhabitants of a random universe, blindly moved by mechanical forces; rather, we are intimately connected parts of a larger organic whole." (Keiron Le Grice)
P.S. The archetype of Virgo does not mean spinster. It isn't about chastity and in the Greek world simply meant "unmarried." The original meaning of the word means, essentially, "one-in-herself." The Virgo symbol in astrology represents the process of making a crop edible and the care and concern taken to improve things. Virgo knows when something is ready to be harvested and is attentive to the details because its livelihood depends on how well the harvest does. Virgo has a genuine desire to improve things.
I’m very surprised with this quite superficial critic to astrology. I’m not an expert but I can tell this does not encompass the complexities of astrology but rather perhaps researched the 3-line newspaper version of a Sunday horoscope. Also, for some people (not my case) astrology it’s almost like a religion. To go head-on against such a topic in a superficial way is the shortest path to losing credibility, and does nothing but create division along those who comment: those who believe and those who don’t. Perhaps a great marketing strategy to boost engagement?
What would have made this a well-rounded article for me and shored up your claim that you are open-minded (at least based on the quote about you at the top of the article), would have been to hear about your personal experience going to an astrologer. There is no curiosity in this article. Only judgment.
Any astrologer worth their salt will tell you that the way energy was moving in the universe when you were born (which is difficult to see as wholly irrelevant to those who understand that we are all energetic beings) is a set of data to be leveraged for self awareness. NOT a “sentence” or static description of your personality. There are no unbending definitions. Just context. Context that many people find comforting and useful during transformation processes especially. Maybe in China it’s “harmful” when used as a generalization but it’s a crazy stretch to say this crusade (pun INTENDED - religion has hurt FAR more human lives than astrology with its inherent artifice as the weapon) of yours is helping change anything actually damaging. So disappointing.
Love it, but get ready for the onslaught of angry believers!
I have been studying Astrology, Numerology, Mayan Astrology, Tarot for years, not as a practitioner but as a hobby. I really wanted to understand why so many feel there’s truth on all of these languages. And maybe that’s the thing: these are just languages to access the imaginary world we all live in. Sure, you’ll say Science is very real but still, as humans, we live in an imaginary world made of a shared horizon of meanings that are not always scientifically true. So… this means everyone is living a fantasy? Yes and no. So I will disagree Adam with your thesis that people who uses Astrology to explore their feelings and personalities is lacking of a critical mind: I bet is actually the opposite. They’re invested in being critical but they’re just using a different set of tools to access that reality. Sure: now it seems obvious that those tools can’t be as precise as other tools scientists have developed right? But that’s also part of our common horizon of beliefs for contemporary culture. Science is not perfect either, it’s also evolving and recognizing mistakes. So maybe, all of these very ancient languages have something useful in them that made them survive over the years, because the most amazing thing is that Astrology doesn’t have an institution that works to keep it from oblivion, it’s being kept alive by people. All the knowledge is free and easy to access. Nobody needs to pay good money to learn Astrology so it’s not “protected” and “gatekeeped” by institutions. It’s very democratic knowledge as well. But it’s complex and often people just over simplify: same happens with many sets of information, you know it. So don’t ditch Astrology just yet: have you studied the correlations between all of these languages? It’s quite fascinating. Maybe it’s just that they’re describing something we don’t have all the means to understand with our other ‘more scientific’ languages yet: energies, invisible bonds, amazing coincidences and happenings. I wonder if you really gave this a proper look, because the people you’re describing as “astrology fans” is not the people I know. I got me thinking that maybe is really culturally dependent: Americans don’t talk Astrology the way Indians do, or the way Argentinians do. Not all can speak and understand the language. It’s like me asking for directions in Paris.
This is one of those posts that I’ll save and flag and Evernote…and generally keep anywhere I’ll go to look for it. *Thank you* for finding this data! The power of suggestion is so strong and yet so many of us (me included, I’m sure!), think we’re immune.
But I’ll save this article for another reason: how gently you broke the news to believers, and presented your case without disparaging them. As I say in my work, people want to be seen as smart, capable and good — and that’s especially true when you’re upsetting their assumptions.
Yes! It causes damage. When my husband had a stroke, a friend of mine who believes in this stuff gave me this horoscopy thing about what it meant. It was about him hiding, being anxious, etc. I was so angry…like I really needed to hear that. Well, it turned out the source of his stroke was a heart birth defect. Friendship has never been the same since. What I found as just quirky, exploratory hobby before for me became a question of character.
Your biased and flippant tone belies the fact that the roots of mathematics and science are linked to thousands of years of astrology. There is so much more than the common perception you described. Please step back from commenting on what you don't understand.