Science Or Superstition?
Your exposure to astrology is probably a column in your local newspaper. Unfortunately, astrology is a very unregulated area of study and a lot of very simple-minded ideas get passed off as astrology.
The practice of astrology is thousands of years old. In non-technical cultures events are often explained by the action of gods or coincidental events and omens.
So it seems obvious that astrology is just hocus-pocus, the remnants of our ancestors from a time before modern scientific and technological advances.
There are many theories but no proofs. The fact is that we do not know how astrology works. It is believed that astrology just doesn't make any common sense. There is no explanation for why planets should affect humans. This is more like superstition.
Lots of theories in physics don't make common sense either. Albert Einstein and other 20th century physicists have proposed all kinds of absurd and seemingly ridiculous ideas. But it is not necessary for an idea to make common sense to be scientifically sound. A theory only needs to fit the data, that's all.
Many people have conducted very impressive research studies in astrology. In order for these studies to be considered scientifically valid, they must however be reviewed by experts and be published in an accepted scientific journal. This requires a lot of time and money. Astrology is still foreign to our college and universities and they are unwilling to invest the resources required to validate the studies. No, astrology has not been disproven. Ironically, astrologers are sometimes attacked by scientists for promoting pseudo-science and superstition and scientists state that astrology has been disproven, a statement which is untrue and unscientific! Until articles are published that validate or invalidate astrological principles, the question of astrology's status as a science is undetermined.
In the latter half of the 20th century astrologers have discovered complex interactions among the planets. This has developed two new schools of astrology. These are known as the theories of harmonic astrology and cosmobiology. These new approaches to astrological interpretation are extremely cumbersome without computer calculations. With the advent of the home computer astrology is now available to everyone.
The applications of astrology are almost endless. There are many theories and approaches to astrology and very little hard and fast scientifically proven facts, but a new foundation for astrology is being built and there are people using astrology successfully in very concrete areas.
Keep in mind also that a great deal of modern psychology has not been proven yet. Many psychologists emphasize the importance of self-esteem in people's lives and the importance of developing self-esteem in children. This concept is difficult to prove, but for people who work in these situations, the importance of self-esteem is obvious.
Astrology currently does not have the support and endorsement of universities and research journals and there are many problems in attempting to scientifically test astrological theories. But it has been done already to a small degree. The development of good software tools and the dedication and interest of many talented people is now proving astrology to be one of the great technological wonders of the future.