SCI D2 Astrology - Essay Example

ASTROLOGY Module Module ID: The Paper Etymologically stands for stars, the discipline of Astrology aims to study the movements and advancements of the celestial bodies by concentrating their positive and negative influences and impacts upon the activities, behavior and fortune of the humans. Astrology divides humans into twelve categories, on the basis of the their date of birth, though developing of their horoscopes looks for more requirements including time, place and year of birth as well along with the date of their birth.

Once considered to be an essential part of the belief and faith systems of the people, belonging to ancient cultures and civilizations of Greece, Rome, Egypt, India, China and Babylonia, Astrology got the status of pure science among the philosophers, writers, dramatists and intellectuals of ancient times. Continuously, the prominent poets and playwrights including Homer, Sophocles, Xenias and others have alluded to the impact of the movement of planets on the triumphs and failures of the kings, queens and warriors.

Sophocles’ magnificent Athenian tragic play Oedipus the King (429 B.C.E) portrays the prophecy about the ill fortune of the newly born son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of the Thebes City, where the son i.e. Oedipus would kill his father and would marry his mother on growing young. (Lines 1008-1310) The future poets also alluded to the movements of stars and planets in their works by affiliating it to important happenings occurred in the life of nations and individuals at large. The later playwrights including Marlow, Shakespeare and others have also alluded to stars in their works.

Shakespearean tragedy Julius Caesar (1599) states: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves. (Act 1, Scene 2), where the poet has declared an association between human deeds and stars; as the celestial bodies support the people having good intentions and positive thinking, and curse those, who are evil-minded and devise plans to harm, hurt and destroy the others. Abrahamic Scriptures also narrate the people’s having faith in celestial bodies, as the Holy Prophet Abraham refuted the offer of accompanying his fellow-beings by making accuse that the stars predicted that he was going to fall ill, (The Qur’an: 37:88-89) because he was determined to break the false gods i.e. idols into pieces.

Thus, astrology had been in vogue for the last several centuries as a pure science. Astrology declares the sun, the moon and nine celestial bodies i.e. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, which influence their respective Zodiac signs, which include Aries (22 March--20 April), Taurus (21 April—21 May), Gemini (22 May--21 June), Cancer (22 June—23 July), Leo (24 July, 22 August), Virgo (23 August—21 September), Libra (22 September—22 October), Scorpio (23 October—21 November), Sagittarius (22 November—21 December), Capricorn (22 December—20 January), Aquarius (21 January—21 February) and Pisces (22 February—21 March).

Hence, the children born during some particular dates are attributed to the relevant Zodiac sign and its particular characteristics. The discipline continued enjoying the status of science during middle ages, though the scientific developments started challenging its validity as a pure science. It was partly because of the errors and mistakes in predictions and prophecies that it was considered to be as a pseudoscience during the modern era. Astrology underwent great criticism from the 20th century critics.

Bok, Jerome and Kurtz (1975) particularly challenged its status as a science by arguing that the discipline is closer to magic and spirituality than science, and is hence unable to provide accurate outcomes altogether. It is therefore people study the same just for the sake of recreation and entertainment. (Thagard, 1978: 225) Consequently, it was excluded from the list of natural and social sciences. However, a large majority of the people, belonging to every region of the globe, read astrology, follow its predictions and adopt it as a part of their cultural patterns.

ReferencesShakespeare, Sir William. (1599/1912) Julius Caesar Doubleday, Page & CompanySophocles. (429 BCE/1949) Oedipus the King Harcourt Brace Publishers Thagard, Paul R. (1978). Why Astrology is a Pseudoscience? Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association JSTOR Volume One Retrieved in http://cogsci.uwaterloo.ca/Articles/astrology.pdfAl Qur’an 37:88-89 Retrieved in http://www.alquranverse.com/37/88/Shakir andhttp://www.alquranverse.com/37/89/Shakir