Are Horoscopes Predictions Or Coincidences?
I was chatting with a stranger the other day while standing in line waiting for a quadruple shot mocha latte. The subject of age came into the discussion which always leads to birthdays. After I disclosed my date of birth, she proceeded to squeal “me too… well actually it’s next week but that so cool, I usually don’t meet many Scorpios, bla bla bla!”
That’s usually the point where I drift off into a daydream of choking this person out or of another place I’d rather be but she kept my attention with her stunning good looks. Anyway, I was handed my liquid crack and moseyed on out of there. While sipping my hot beverage, I tried to understand the fascination to zodiac signs. I can understand the connection between two people about their shared sign if it meant that they now have a common day to celebrate their birthdays and can do it together.
That seems to have a somewhat tangible meaning. But when this woman at the coffee shop started spouting out Scorpio characteristics, I couldn’t help but think “wow this girl is sexy”… then… “I have to escape this conversation before I inevitably insult her beliefs”. Yeah we’re possessive, secretive, stubborn… alright already; I get it… the stars made me this way.Astrology is just an attempt to achieve a predictive mechanism to human behavior. Since the early times of recorded history, man strives to find meaning in everything including within himself. Many hypotheses fell to the way side do to lack of merit. These can be explored through pseudosciences. Astrology is a pseudoscience like alchemy and Quackery. It holds equal validity to a placebo, a sugar pill. Granted, open-mindedness is needed to ascertain many of life’s mysteries but there’s a fine line between the open mind and the gullible mind.
Zodiac signs tend to mirror generalizations about normal human behavior. And more times than not, every characteristic from all the twelve signs can pertain to you. A Taurus can be a good arguer, witty and flirtatious even though those are Gemini characteristics. And despite being Aquarius characteristics… being optimistic, enthusiastic and intelligent can pertain to a Sagittarius. Many people latch onto particular traits that they’re fond of and run with it. People aren’t born with psychological predispositions to any trait because of their astrological location at the time of birth. It was just one way for the uneducated mind to make sense of the stars and themselves. It’s like the creation of Zeus because lightning had to come from somewhere. Zeus tosses them down to earth… duhhhh. As you know, some beliefs vanished while others still linger.
Horoscopes are an even bigger sham. A horoscope is an astrological forecast. I’m wary of anything with forecast attached to the end of it. Weather forecast, economic forecast, sales forecast, etc… Their accuracy rating isn’t the best but there’s enough data to come to an educated guess. This does not exist in astrology. Mercury is in retrograde and Uranus is joined by Jupiter in your sign which means surprisingly good things are going to happen but don’t sign any.
Shut Up! It’s all nonsense. Notice how many of them will have a general statement that will, most likely, apply to your individual situation. Another thing that bugs me is that astrology operates on the principle that a person’s conduct is base on how they were born instead of who they are.
This sounds like the same theorem racist follow to sum up an ethnicity. It’s flawed, inaccurate and easily interchangeable. Sure, once in a while they might be right on the mark but it’s like that saying of the broken watch, it is right twice a day. There was a psychologist named Bertram R. Forer who came up with an observation that individuals will give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them, but are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people.
This is called the Forer effect. Bertram created and gave a personality test to his students. He told his students they were each receiving a unique personality analysis that was based on the test's results and to rate their analysis on a scale of 0 (very poor) to 5 (excellent) on how well it applied to themselves. In reality, each received the same analysis:
“You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself.While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage.. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside.
At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.
You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.”
On average, the rating was 4.26, but only after the ratings were turned in was it revealed that each student had received identical copies assembled by Forer from various horoscopes. Coincidence? of course not. I’m open to any FACTS supporting Astrology… but I won’t hold my breath.
