Of course, when one has a system based on randomness and arbitrary convention, a shuffle, mix-up or derangement of the system is unimportant, because the whole system is just a random word generator, and it continues to generate random words as you mix it further. The puzzle is how any conscious human being could remain unaware of the arbitrariness of the procedure, once he understands it.

Returning to the question of the popularity of astrology, psychologists have no trouble accounting for it. It comes from the uniquely personal aspect of astrology. Every day you pick up the paper, turn to the astrology column, and read about yourself! Not Ronald Reagan, not Madonna, not Elizabeth Taylor … but you, you, you. It's all about you. It's all to do with you. The whole infinite universe is reduced to dime-store clockwork whose sole purpose is to tell you whether it's a good day to go shopping or not!

Psychologist shave shown over and over that customers are satisfied with astrological predictions as long as there is some ritual of personalization. For example, customers are all given exactly the same vague, general statement. But half the customers are first asked many detailed questions and have to give much personal information before getting the statement. And the other half of the customers are asked for hardly any information at all before getting their (identical) statement. If is invariably found that the first half rate their statements as "very accurate," "very satisfactory," etc., while the second half rate their statements as "all right, but not too precise," or "not as good as some I've had," etc. All astrological readings of all types are invariably so-called "formula readings," vague and general statements that apply to essentially everyone alive, and are in no way specific or individual.

We often refer to the 20^th century as the age of science. Modern science has devastated the foundations of astrology at every possible point. For instance, the time of birth of an individual is in no way significant. The individual is formed at conception, 9 months before birth. What are the astrological implications of caesarian sections or induced deliveries? Modern biology has uncovered the molecular basis of genetic inheritance, and there is no room for astrology anywhere in the picture. Molecules don't have horoscopes. From the standpoint of physics and astronomy, astrology is even more ludicrous than from the standpoint of biology and genetics. The gravitational force exerted on a newborn baby by the earth itself is more than a million times greater than that exerted by any celestial object; the tidal stress exerted by the mother and the hospital building are likewise a million times greater than that exerted by any celestial body. The electromagnetic radiation falling on the baby from the hospital room lights is a million times more intense than that from any other celestial object except the sun itself. Most important of all, human beings are made of atoms; everything is made of atoms. If there were any actual phenomenon of nature underlying astrology, everything would be affected, not just human beings. The forces of nature are universal, exerted from atom to atom, and do not discriminate between living and nonliving matter.

In short, there is nothing whatsoever in all of nature as we know it that gives any credibility to any astrological idea. There is nothing whatsoever in astrology itself that gives any credence to any astrological idea. As a belief system astrology is arbitrary and unjustifiable, and has no connection to reality at any point.

An interesting experiment suggested by astronomer Derral Mulholland is to read your newspaper (or any other) daily horoscope "reading" for a week or two, checking it against your daily experience. Then, for the same length of time, read a totally different and supposedly inapplicable "horoscope." You will find no difference in the accuracy, or lack thereof, of the "readings." It seems hardly possible that any thinking human being could take any aspect of astrology seriously, after having had any experience with it. But one should never underestimate the extent of human irrationality.

There are more than 10,000 practicing astrologers in the U.S., and Americans spend more than $200 million annually consulting astrologers. In short, millions of Americans, from Ronald Reagan to minimum wage earners, will doubtless continue to regulate some part of their daily schedule in accord with the arbitrary and potentially harmful "advice" generated by the mindless random-advice generator provided by astrology. Ironically, they will therefore continue to pay unknowing lip service to the tenets of an otherwise forgotten religion of ancient Babylon.

Pseudoscience Fact Sheets: Resources to Promote Critical Thinking are produced by the Austin Society to Oppose Pseudoscience (with the assistance of AFF).

The complete collection of Pseudoscience Fact Sheets is available from AFF Electronic Bookstore. 43 pp.

For further reading: