Astrology is not just wrong, it's a scam

Science and technology have proliferated every corner of our lives. The device you are using to read this article would be considered magic by the people of the early twentieth century. Science and technology gave us a vaccine within one year that is now saving millions of people. Most people in the world will not deny the utility of science and how it has improved human lives.

Unfortunately, in the modern scientific age, one sees astrology sections even in reputed newspaper websites such as The Times of India and The Indian Express. Vogue has an article titled- ‘13 astrologers you need to follow on Instagram now’. While astrology was popular among middle-aged and older people in India, the pandemic induced uncertainty and job loss have attracted young adults to astrology, says a report. Thousands of people are shelling out a lot of money to get a peek into their future over phone calls with astrologers.

The tragedy is that the GenZ and millennials who glorify science and technology forget that the foundation of science and technology is rationality, critical thinking, and the scientific method. Astrology that has now become a fad among the younger generation fails on every count. It is irrational and unscientific. Moreover, the astrologers who, if they are being rational, also know that it is wrong.

Horoscopes- vague, contradictory and utter swindle 

Astrology and horoscopes predict the future and human behavior. But before delving into the scientific inaccuracies of astrology, let’s look at some horoscope predictions.

From Times of India (26^th Oct 2021)

                                                                                  Aries

Indian Express (26^th October 2021)

If one reads the horoscopes with reasonable scepticism, India will not be suffering from the hidden astrology-pandemic. All the horoscopes use terms like- may or probably or could. The astrologer is indemnifying him/herself by using such terms.

Also, Aries horoscope on Indian Express suggests that an Aries should try to persuade their partners sweetly and charmingly without lashing out at them to avoid backlash. I always thought this was a no-brainer.

Similarly, the Cancer horoscope in Times of India says- avoid rash driving. Really? Is this even something to be said?

Further, Aries horoscope on Indian Express hints at some kind of confrontation with the partner that one must avoid. On the other hand, the Times of India says that an Aries today will be energetic and focused. So, the two horoscopes do not even match and contradict each other.

This is exactly how all the horoscopes are- extremely vague, never make any absolute or close to absolute claim, and often contradictory.

 

Astrology- a pseudoscience at best

Astrology is used by several cultures and religions. But fundamentally they all believe that the relative movement and position of the celestial objects have a profound impact on a person’s behaviour, character, and future.

The sky, especially the night sky, has always fascinated human beings. And why wouldn’t it? Humans have laid down on their backs in the dark wilderness of Africa for hundreds of years looking at the stars and planets. This coupled with the human tendency to link every action with a cause has led to the development and progress of astrology. Ironically, despite critical thinking and rationality causing the study of the stars (i.e cosmos) to split into astronomy (the real science) and astrology (the pseudo-science), humans still read the 2nd-century pseudoscience on a 21st-century device.

Several studies have been conducted that prove astrology wrong. In 1990 two professors at Indiana University found that astrologers and non-astrologers were no better at matching star-charts. Similarly, another 2003 study tracked the lives of 2000 people who were all born within minutes of one another for decades to determine if the astrological predictions worked. Further, since they were all born almost at the same time, they should have similar traits and lives. As predicted, astrology failed and science won. 

 

Let’s do some math!

One claim in support of astrology is that the gravitational force of the planets affects us on Earth. And consequently, the position and movement of these planets affect our behaviour, personality and future.

The formula to find gravitation force is

Fg is the force of gravity
G is the gravitational constant

M1 is the mass of object 1
M2 is the mass of object 2
R is the distance between object 1 and object 2

 

Now let’s find out the force:

Mass of Mars: 6.39 × 10^23 kg

Mass of an object (human being) on Earth: 5 kg (mass not weight)

Distance between Mars and Earth: 54.6 x 10^6 kilometers

Gravitational constant: 6.674 30 x 10-11 m3 kg-1 s-2

The gravitational force comes to- 0.0000000715305 N

Let’s find the gravitation force that is exerted by a Boeing 747 when you stand one foot from it-
            

            Mass of Boeing 747: 44361 Kg

            Mass of an object (human) next to Boeing 747: 5 kg

            Distance between the 747 and human: 1 ft

The gravitational force comes to- 0.0001593482 N

This means that a Boeing 747 exerts more gravitational force on you when you stand one foot from it than the gravitation force of Mars. So, a Boeing must determine your behaviour and future more than Mars!  Buildings around you exert more gravitational force on you than planets like Mars and Venus.

 

Why do people believe in astrology?

The human mind works in confusing ways. A scientist who calculates Earth to be 4 billion years old in his physics problem goes to Church on Sunday and believes that it is just six thousand years old.

ISRO scientists who spend sleepless nights working on rockets and advanced equipment break coconuts before launching a rocket. A doctor who has performed hundreds of surgeries using state of the art medical equipment and proven methods prays before entering the operation theatre. The question that confounds the scientists, engineers, doctors and the common person is- what if? What if there is a God? What if these planets affect my future? What if the astrologer is right? But they don't ask- What if there is a tea and saucer going around Earth that we cannot see, touch or find? No one believes in the invisible tea and saucer. Then why in God or arbitrary position of a planet or stars? Because we want an explanation for the things, especially bad, that happen in our lives.

Interestingly, we tend to remember those instances that the astrologer or horoscope got right. If the horoscope says- today you “may” fall sick. Be careful while driving. You may receive a monetary benefit. And the person then finds a Rs. 10 note on the road will feel this prediction is right because he received a monetary benefit, while completely disregarding the fact that he did not fall sick.  We selectively choose evidence to decide what is right and wrong.

Further, the advices given in these horoscopes are harmless or generally positive for one’s wellbeing. It says- drive carefully. Do not engage in an argument. You will be energetic and focused today.

Then there is the placebo effect of astrology where the person reads the horoscope, believes it to be true and lives his life accordingly. This will create situations that are conducive for such predictions to come true. For example, if the prediction says- “you may face difficulties today, keep yourself calm and you will sail through it.” One who genuinely believes in horoscopes and astrology will automatically have a tendency to force oneself to be calm even while performing quotidian tasks.

Unfortunately, this is the harmless part of astrology. Astrology also ruins marriages and families. It costs people their future. An astrologist says- you are bound to succeed in medicine. Then parents force the child who likes art or music to study medicine. If the child succeeds, the astrologer is hailed. If the child fails, no one blames the astrologer for getting it wrong. The blame is on the child for not working hard.

Similarly, people with opposing kundli or rashi who are otherwise a perfect match do not marry because the astrologer said that the husband will die within a few months of marriage because of the position of a planet. In the words of Carl Sagan- “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” . Unfortunately, an astrologer offers none. And Christopher Hitchens rightly said- “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence”.

 

Rationality must prevail

The growing demand for astrology in India is deeply concerning because it undermines the value of science. Taking things at their face value without critically analyzing their merits is dangerous to the progress of a society.

I am claiming astrology not just to be false but also a scam because most of these astrologers know for a fact that they are scamming people. A person in the profession of astrology must at least read up on whether astrology works. And any genuine reading on this will make any reasonable person believe that this is just a hoax.

Living life based on an astrologer’s prediction is handing the driver’s seat of your life to an uneducated cunning stranger who either has no interest to know if what he is saying has any real significance or is knowingly exploiting the human vulnerabilities.

In uncertain times, when things happen without any apparent reason, the solution is not in finding explanations void of reason. Science and the scientific method have explicitly disproved the practice of astrology. This does not mean that one should not study astrology. By all means, anyone interested in astrology must pursue its study. But one must not mislead people into believing what is not proven and untrue. The astrologers must use the scientific method and prove how and why astrology is right. Until the astrologers prove their claim, there is no need to respect their profession that gives false hope to often vulnerable humans.