Introduction
Astrology is a pseudoscience that uses the alignment of the stars and planets to make predictions about people’s lives, their personalities, and their compatibility with others. It’s a scientific fact that astronomical bodies such as the sun, stars, and the alignment of the planets all affect people’s daily lives. The seasons, the climate, and more are the result of the positions of celestial bodies. However, there is no scientific evidence that confirms the accuracy of astrology. That said, many people find astrological predictions to be accurate.
What Is Astrology?
Astrologers study how the stars and planets influence human lives (not to be mistaken with astronomers, read the difference in this article). They believe that the position of the sun, stars, moon, and planets at the moment of a person’s birth influences that person’s personality. As a result, this plays a role in that person’s future as well.
The sun-sign astrology that gives you your daily horoscope is limited in scope. Most astrologers will tell you that if you want more detailed information, they need to factor in the position of the planets, stars, sun, and moon at the time of your birth. If it helps, feel free to read our article about sun vs moon vs rising signs.
Forms Of Astrology
Different ancient cultures each had their own form of astrology, which has transformed into Western astrology today. Some cultures still have their own forms of astrology. The eastern cultures still use the Vedic, Tibetan and Chinese zodiac. Western astrology includes the following:
- Mundane Astrology: This is used to look at world events and make predictions about economies, wars, and countries.
- Interrogatory Astrology: This is used to make predictions and analyze an individual’s goals and events in that person’s life.
- Natal Astrology: This is used to make predictions and analyze events based on the position of astronomical bodies at the time of the person’s birth.
Astrology is not a science but it does use science to make it’s predictions. For this reason, it’s considered a pseudoscience.
Can Astrology Be Wrong?
A Quick Answer
The answer is that yes, astrology can be wrong. There is an ongoing debate between those who believe in the accuracy of astrology and those who say that it isn’t real. It’s indisputable that astrology often reveals personality traits of individuals with surprising accuracy. However, some people don’t necessarily fit their descriptions.
History
Astrology became widespread during the reign of Alexander the Great. The ancient people used the stars and planets and their movements to make predictions about events, harvests, and other things. This tied in with their religion as well and certain times were considered auspicious. They had augurs and others who would make evaluations and predictions based on what was happening in the sky.
Different Astrologers
Astrology began to be rejected in 1679 because different astrologers could not use one set of information and come up with the same predictions. In addition, unlike the sciences, astrologers cannot account for errors. In science, if a theory is tested and fails, it is falsified.
For this reason, astrology is considered a pseudoscience. The astrologer may be able to explain a failure or inaccuracy but he or she is unable to revise the hypothesis.
Testing the Validity of Astrology
It’s difficult to test the validity of astrology because there is disagreement between astrologers concerning what astrology is and what it is capable of predicting. General daily horoscopes, such as those in newspapers, do make generalized predictions that can apply to a wide range of people.
In one test, the results showed that only 40 percent of personality profiles based on the astrological sign were accurate amongst a group of people. Scientists and those who deny astrology as a non-science consistently show that there is no evidence to back it up. In their opinions, astrology is as accurate as random chance.
Is Astrology Accurate?
However, all of the scientific tests in the world cannot hide the fact that many people find their horoscopes to be surprisingly accurate. While non-believers can assign explanations to the randomness of the accuracy, people themselves confirm that their horoscopes are often accurate.
Studies
A number of studies have been done that show that certain patterns emerge. For example, one in five child stars fall under the sign of Sagittarius. This ties in with their outgoing personalities. Aries dominates the billionaire list. This also fits with characteristics of this sign. If you’re new to the topic, feel free to learn how many zodiac signs there are.
As a result, there are people who believe in astrology and find it very accurate in spite of the lack of scientific evidence. Serious astrology studies the positions of all of the planets, moons, stars, and other cosmic events to predict people’s lives.
Scientists
Scientists enjoy debunking astrology as a pseudoscience, but the majority of people who follow astrology do not blindly accept it as fact. They view it as a tool that helps them to make sense of shifting energies and patterns in a world that’s otherwise unexplainable.
In fact, many people who follow astrology say that it doesn’t matter if it’s “real”. It only matters that it’s useful. Perhaps some of the planetary alignments reveal the potential for conflict or compatibility and lead people to take action. It can be a catalyst and help people re-evaluate their course in life.
When Astrology Is Wrong
Astrology is only wrong if it tries to predict a definite outcome. The predictions that good astrologers make aren’t wrong. They tell you what energies are present based on the alignment of celestial bodies and you can do what you want with the information. If Mercury is in retrograde and astrologers suggest that communication might be difficult, you can pay closer attention to the accuracy of your communications.
Conclusion
It serves as a reminder to be thoughtful in how you communicate with others. Can astrology be wrong? Yes, it can. It depends on the astrologer and what you’re looking for in your horoscope. However, most of the time, astrology is a tool that can help you define a confusing world. It provides you with reminders and tools to chart your own destiny. Believing in something that isn’t rooted in logic and fact can be spiritual and offer explanations for the unexplainable.
