On Astropsychology
I received in my Academic mailbox today a short questionnaire for a statistics student asking me, quite simply for my gender, date of birth, date of birth of a significant other or close friend, and do I believe in astrology on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much so).
I answered his questions, noting a 1 on my belief in psychology, but attached this long appendix of reservation to his short question:
The question of Astrology is a bit more complex than can be summed up in a one-question survey. Thus, while I completely abhore what is regularly referred to as Astrology; the weekly ficticous horoscopes we read in the papers, there’s more to Astrology than just that.
The basic concept, that celestial bodies have an affect on our psychology, is not as derranged and ludicrous as it might seem to a Popperian scientific-type. The moon determines the tides, and what are humans if not fatty sacks of mostly-water?
Another way to think of it would be as such; The time of year in which you were born (say, winter vs. summer), has a profound, yet subtle effect on how you are treated as an infant. Were you hugged much? Was it too cold for bare physical contact? How covered were you?
This is but one example of many.
Many people are sick during the winter. Perhaps if winter occurs during the third trimester, while the fetal brain is at a certain crucial development junction, it can have a statistically significant effect on the brain, and thus, on personality.
One can imagine that (particularly in ancient times) the time of year, and even the time of the month (lunar phase) would dictate how much light you saw as an infant. How much time your parents had to spend with you, and many other subtle influences.
Bearing all this in mind, I think there is some truth to the basic notion driving astrology, beyond the simple fact that as folk-psychology goes, it’s been around long enough to be reckonned with beyond a simple “it’s not science” disconfirmation.
Yes, it’s not a science, it’s a practice, and it’s one which appears to actually help people (I’m referring here of course to one-on-one map readings, not the weekly nonsense). There is something to be said about a practice which helps people, even if we don’t understand and/or dispute the underlying mechanisms.
I, for one, believe there is room for more thorough, unbiased research on the subject.
“Astrology represents the summation of the psychological knowledge of antiquity.” – Carl Jung (1962)
Tagged as astrology, astropsychology, Carl Jung, Karl Popper, Psychology + Categorized as Psychology, Science/Technology