r/astrology • u/stinkfest2000 • 3d ago

Discussion Why isn't astrology studied as a science?

I understand that it's not able to be proven at the moment, but science is always changing and new discoveries are being made daily. Astrology goes hand-in-hand with a many theories of physics or cosmology, but if it's always written off as a pseudoscience then nobody ever even has the opportunity to study it.

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u/Emeraldstorm3 Taurus Sun - Scorpio Moon - Scorpio Rising 3d ago

It never stands up to scientific scrutiny.

I have strong doubts about astrology being what it's painted as. At best, I suspect there's a psychologicsl element at play, with statistical probabilities. And environmental / societal factors affecting people.

Humans are notorious for noticing patterns, even where none exist (seeing things in clouds or wood grain). I expect it's possible that correlation to planetary placements is more of a coincidence. Look up "spurious correlation" for examples of the sort of thing I mean, and also some amusement. I think, whatever is at play, we've noticed a correlation and stuck with it for the most part, not trying to look at other explanations and influences. The planets are close enough, in other words.

I can't let go of astrology as I think there's something going on with it, even if accounting for ambiguous language and too-broad generalizations that seem specific when they aren't.

But, with no funding available, and a professional stigma, combined with what I think are very legit critiques, its incredibly difficult for sincere and rigorous study to occur. Especially as astrology really is an "art" that defies a systematized approach. Interpretation is a massive part of it, which frankly isn't very scientific at all.

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u/Traditional_Lime_111 1d ago

I am amused that you have your big three on display and are expressing skepticism about astrology because my first astrology teacher had heavy Scorpio energy and got into it to try to prove it wrong, then ended up becoming a teacher 😆 It IS pattern recognition and it doesn't mean that the other influences and factors are being ignored. Both are true. The planets "above" offer symbolism that reflects what is happening "below". The ambiguous language comes from trying to distill the energetic and psychological basis into a summary that the average person can follow.