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Tilo Rebar
In: Sussex
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| Boreades wrote: | | Of course. That's almost as silly as suggesting the alignments of the sun and moon has an effect on the tides and also on geological events. |
Yes you're right - it is totally stupid.
I've lived to a ripe old age and can categorically state that the position of celestial objects have had no effect on me - apart from having to howl at the full moon from time to time.
Astrology was born of the arrogance of man, which falsely assumed that an individual had some relevance in the Universe - he doesn't, therefore Astrology is a load of bollocks.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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| howl at the full moon from time to time. |
Well yes. In that case I'd better not mention the medical folk I know who dare not publish their case histories of peaks in psychological disorders that do coincide with lunar cycles.
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Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
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Tilo, your assertion is incomplete to the point of being misleading. It is a proper AE argument to say that the reason for the belief in astrology arises because individuals believe they are of relevance to the universe (this is clearly true in the sense that most religions posit a universe-constructor who cares what happens to individuals on earth).
However it is necessary for you to point out that astrology itself makes no such claim. Quite the reverse. It says we are mere playthings of where the celestial bodies happen to be when we are born. We cannot avoid this fate, only perhaps predict it and thereby exploit it.
This second point is hugely important because it is a fact that events on earth are known to be affected by where the celestial bodies are at any given time eg night and day, tides, menstrual cycles etc. It is therefore only a matter of degree to claim that other things eg whether I am going to meet a tall dark handsome stranger later today, is also affected by the positioning of celestial bodies.
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Boreades
In: finity and beyond
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Quite recently (2007), Sussex Police put more officers on patrol during full moons, because "research by the Sussex force which concluded there was a rise in violent incidents when the moon was full - and also on paydays. Insp Andy Parr said he compared crime statistics for Brighton and Hove with lunar graphs to discover the trend. "
On the other hand, it might just mean more people are out-and-about during full moons because it's easier to see where you're going in the dark if there's a full moon. And drunken youths bumping into each other as they weave their way home from the pubs is more likely to happen.
Oi! Ooo you pushing? Thump.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6723911.stm
Exhibit One (m'lud): The Lunar Society. The well-known group of Midlands industrialists, scientists and inventors in the 18th century. So-called because they timed their meetings so they could travel at night, relying on full moons to light their way. Also an excellent book by Jenny Uglow.
So while it could be said that astrology events cause cyclic changes in behaviour (regardless of whether it's rational or not), much may depend on our definition of cause and effect.
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Roger Stone
In: conclusive
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| Quite recently (2007), Sussex Police put more officers on patrol during full moons, because "research by the Sussex force which concluded there was a rise in violent incidents when the moon was full - and also on paydays. Insp Andy Parr said he compared crime statistics for Brighton and Hove with lunar graphs to discover the trend. " |
An interesting opportunity to see a self-fulfilling prophecy at work, since if they have more officers on duty, it becomes highly likely that they will therefore detect and record more crime at those times. Very neat. 'We now have documentary evidence to prove our theory correct.'
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