Birthtimes: A Scientific Investigation of the Secrets of Astrology

At the end of 1975, 192 ‘leading scientists’ – of whom 19 were Nobel Prize winners and among whom were numbered B. F. Skinner, Fred Hoyle, Konrad Lorentz, Linus Pauling and Sir Francis Crick – signed a manifesto against astrology in the American journal, the Humanist. This statement was published on the initiative of the well-known American astronomer, Bart J. Bok, emeritus professor of astronomy at the universities of Harvard and Arizona, and was distributed to the media all over the world. Much more than an indictment, it was intended as the death sentence for astrology, without right of appeal. Because of the scientific prestige of its signatories and the impact it made, the manifesto is worth looking at in depth. It begins:

Scientists in a variety of fields have become concerned about the increased acceptance of astrology in many parts of the world. We, the undersigned – astronomers, astrophysicists, and scientists in other fields – wish to caution the public against the unquestioning acceptance of the predictions and advice given privately and publicly by astrologers. Those who wish to believe in astrology should realize that there is no scientific foundation for its tenets.

In ancient times people believed in the prediction and advice of astrologers because astrology was part and parcel of their magical world view. They looked upon celestial objects as abodes or omens of the gods and thus intimately connected with events here on earth; they had no concept of the vast distances from the earth to the planets and stars. Now that these distances can and have been calculated, we can see how inhnitesimally small are the gravitational and other effects produced by the distant planets and the far more distant stars. It is simply a mistake to imagine that the forces exerted by stars and planets at the moment of birth can in any way shape our futures.

And the statement ends:

Acceptance of astrology pervades modern society. This can only contribute to the growth of irrationalism and obscurantism. We believe that the time has come to challenge directly and forcefully the pretentious claims of astrological charlatans. It should be apparent that those individuals who continue to have faith in astrology do so in spite ofthe fact that there is no verified scientific basis for their beliefs and, indeed, that there is strong evidence to the contrary.

Contents:

• To each his own Truth?
• Astrology Judged
• The Planets of Success
• 50,000 Character Traits
• Personality and the Planets
• ‘Science’ and Proof
• The Triumph of the Astrological Idea
• The Horoscope Falls Down
• ‘Midwife’ Planets?
• ‘Neo-Astrology’ under Attack
• Can there be a Conclusion?

Birthtimes: A Scientific Investigation of the Secrets of Astrology By Michel Gauquelin pdf