Astrology Sense or Nonsense?

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The practice of astrology is older than astronomy-the scientific study of the cosmic objects. But astrology cannot be classified as a scientific discipline because it is basically a product of human ignorance and fear. Today we know what the stars and planets are and what makes them move. There is no known mechanism by which their position in the sky can influence or control human fate. Most people go to astrologers out of fear, in the hope of assuaging life's great anxieties. This book is primarily aimed of presenting in a logical manner the elements of astrology as practised and to show why the assumptions and methodology used by astrologers for making forecasts on the basis of birth charts or horoscopes are incompatible with the method of science.

Winner of the 1994 NCSTC National Award for the 'best science and technology coverage in the mass media', and the AWIC Honour 2007 for his contribution to children's literature, Shri Biman Basu (b.1945) has been involved in science popularisation through print and electronic media for more than four decades. He was Editor to the popular science monthly, Science Reporter for over three decades. Shri Basu has authored more than 30 popular science books, of which four, The Story of Man (1997), Joy of Starwatching (1999), Marching Ahead with Science (2001), and Cosmic Vistas (2002) have been published by the NBT, India.

The practice of astrology is older than astronomy-the scientific study of the cosmic objects. In fact, the early progress in astronomy happened mainly due to the interest of kings and rulers in astrology. Initially, astrology probably developed as a means of predicting the fates of dynasties, empires and nations and was practised only in royal courts. But soon the notion of personal astrology developed in Alexandrian Egypt and spread through the Greek and Roman worlds about 2,000 years ago from where it came to India. In fact, the astrology practised in India is basically derived from Greek astrology, and there is nothing like 'Vedic astrology'.

Astrology-whether Western or Indian-cannot be classified as a scientific discipline for various reasons. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that astrology is a product of human ignorance and fear. Although people who lived 3,000 years ago were excellent sky watchers, they still could not explain everything they observed. They could not explain the regular change of the pattern of stars in the night sky, the changing phases of the Moon, and the apparently erratic motion of certain star-like objects in the night sky. They also could not explain the sudden appearance of comets-the strange-looking 'stars with tail' that seemed to appear from nowhere.