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Bombay High Court Rules Astrology To Be a Science
neosaurus writes "In India, the Bombay High Court recently ruled astrology to be 'a time tested science more than 4000 years old.' Not only does this stretch the definition of science, it also reaffirms people's faith in pseudosciences at a broader level." At least we can know for certain the people trying to get creationism taught as science in our schools have equally wacky friends around the globe.
That isn't very reassuring.
These one-liner summaries seem to be tickling CmdrTaco's fancy today ...
Sand and rocks are now drinks.
"The Bombay High Court" ruling is about equivalent to the Georgia Supreme Court saying Creationism is a valid science discipline, or the France High Court declaring french to be the only language allowed to be spoken.
Yes it's a surprising decision, but likely to be overturned by India's "supreme court" later on. Saner heads usually prevail at the national/ union/ federal level.
Information wants to be expensive AND wants to be free. So you have Value vs. Cheap distribution fighting each other.
I have met numerous people, some of them quite clever and respected, who despite being well aware of various pseudo-science tricks (say homeopathy and the like) all fell for astrology. They will claim that people born at a certain time of year share some traits... (like it's some kind of scientific measurable proof. sigh)
I have no idea why it appeals to so many, especially women for some reason. Just look at most women's magazines!
Every newspaper has a column (all of them sufficiently vague that you can't use this to prove how ridiculous the whole thing is).
I wonder what it is that makes so many of us susceptible to such blatant scientific fraud.
As for India, I am not surprised... their belief system is already quite complicated and intersects with all aspects of life, science included.
TODO: 753) write sig.
RTA, Bombay High Court didn't "rule" this way. They noted that India's Supreme Court already ruled on whether Astrology is a science back in 2004 and parroted the result of it. Seems consistent to me.
This makes making fun of India so much easier now.
Since when did article postings come with gratuitous flamebait in addition to the link/info?
When it's justified by the article topic's inherent stupidity?
I thought it's called 'Mumbai' now?
from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_High_Court#History_.26_Premises:
"Although the name of the city was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, the Court as an institution did not follow suit and remained as the Bombay High Court."
Wikipedia doesn't explain why that is so.
'When the Going gets Weird, the Weird turn Pro.' - Hunter S. Thompson
At least we can know for certain the people trying to get creationism taught as science in our schools have equally wacky friends around the globe.
What happened to the /. that was fairly neutral, objective and unbiased? Perhaps it only existed in my mind. Ad hominem such as this is unnecessary, it only cheapens /. as a whole. Creationism is not being pushed anywhere as a science, to be taught, sure, but not as science. Somehow it has become the boogeyman to those that don't actually know what science is. In the marketplace of ideas their will always be struggle, and the victor will not be the one making childish remarks towards the other.
Actually, that's exactly the concern; nobody (well, very few people) object to Creationism being taught in a religions course, forces such as the Texas school board are indeed trying to mandate its inclusion right next to the observed evolution studies present in many science textbooks, and used for materials in science classes.
You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
Because unlike other things on Idle this has real consequences for intelligent and honest people at large. This undermines real science and makes fighting pseudoscience and superstition harder because idiots now have another country to point to and say "See, they think it's real!". It makes it harder to defend vaccines, to debunk homeopathy, and to get rid of the cancer that is religion because garbage masquerading as science now has another sanctuary in a legal code.
That's why it doesn't belong in Idle, because it has real harmful effects.
According to TFA,
"So far as prayer related to astrology is concerned, the Supreme Court has already considered the issue and ruled that astrology is science. The court had in 2004 also directed the universities to consider if astrology science can be added to the syllabus. The decision of the apex court is binding on this court," observed the judges.
Apparently India's Supreme Court has already made a ruling about this and the lower court is just following orders.
Actually I would say reasonably intelligent people could be fooled by Confirmation Bias. http://www.skepdic.com/confirmbias.html
Almost everyone is susceptible to Confirmation Bias and intelligent people tend to rationalize even more.
This space for rent.
I'm taking bets on the next practice or belief system to be labeled and taught as a science. The reading of entrails, tea leaves, palms, or smoke columns? How about tech support by Tarot? (that one does have a certain ring to it, doesn't it?) Any others?
--Udo.
Justified or not, it shows arrogance and a lack of class. Perhaps I'm insane but I do expect better.
Love sees no species.
Science can certainly be regulated by law, but one cannot legislate what is or is not science. This is just sheer ignorance.
hmm. where shall I start.
how about "grind up the claw of a bengal tiger to give yourself good fortune" to drive animal populations to endangered/extinct.
Or the "today is a great day to (activity)" which may result in taking extra risks, death, etc.
bolds don't make your post lack any less grammar than it already does.
Exactly, Creationism has a very very very high chance of being wrong, and I usually say that only idiots view creationism as true -- come on, just because you have faith it doesn't mean that you have to believe in nonsense. Faith is one thing, crazy fundamentalist crap is another. Creationism will never be a science, and if I could, without incurring in a fallacy, I'd say "it is just plain stupid and definitely wrong". I am a non-believer, an atheist, but I respect other people's faith, as I know that it is a fallacy to either say that god exists or that god doesn't. This, however, doesn't mean that I have to turn into a baboon and agree with those who believe in creationism. It's just absurd!
With that said, I think that the commentary is, indeed, spot on.
Have you heard about SoylentNews?
One example is that Nancy Reagan believed in astrology, and white house staffers have stated that it influenced policy decisions made by the Reagan administration.
Well, I was fooling around with an Indian chick, but she wanted to consult with an astrologer before things got too serious. I refused to tell her my birthdate and pay an extortion fee to some con man for his blessing of the relationship. Now I'm forever alone, and am very aware of the real harmful effects of India's perverse fascination with astrology.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
The judges didn't have any chance to rule otherwise; their horoscope said so....
Scientists didn't "change the name". Global Warming and Climate Change are two different things. One causes the other. Both are happening, and have been talked about consistently in the scientific literature for decades.
The fact that deniers can't figure this out says nothing about science, and everything about deniers.
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." -- Albert Einstein
On the other hand, there's a good chance that people who hear music that isn't really there actually *are* crazy.
At least we can know for certain the people trying to get creationism taught as science in our schools have equally wacky friends around the globe.
What happened to the /. that was fairly neutral, objective and unbiased? Perhaps it only existed in my mind. Ad hominem such as this is unnecessary, it only cheapens /. as a whole. Creationism is not being pushed anywhere as a science, to be taught, sure, but not as science. Somehow it has become the boogeyman to those that don't actually know what science is. In the marketplace of ideas their will always be struggle, and the victor will not be the one making childish remarks towards the other.
Sorry buddy, but I happen to live in Texas, where the board of education is most definitely trying to have creationism taught as science. They don't believe in evolution, and want to teach I.D. as a scientific alternative to evolution. Read for yourself. Pay particular attention to Mercer, McElroy, Lowe, Leo, Dunbar, and Bradley, who are some of the worst offenders. They are completely unqualified to render any sort of judgement on these issues, as their own statements show that they have no understanding of the theory of evolution themselves. On top of that, there are enough morons down here that they keep getting voted back in. Morons get elected, make the curriculum worse, creating more morons who'll get elected. It's a vicious cycle.
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
As a Bible-thumping believer in Christ
let it be taught as a liberal arts/entertainment subject, because that's all that it is anyway (and IMHO, a fool's frivolous and superstitious waste of time and energy)
Oh, the irony...
So, what testable predictions has Astrology confirmed? I suspect none, so it's not a science.
Especially since the bathwater magically retains a memory of the baby it once contained.
Seems consistent to me.
Not if you like to be consistent with reality.
And up is down!
Only after exchange of a W boson.
Indians are:
Practical and prudent
Ambitious and disciplined
Patient and careful
Humorous and reserved
Pessimistic and fatalistic
Miserly and grudging
African Americans are:
Adventurous and energetic
Pioneering and courageous
Enthusiastic and confident
Dynamic and quick-witted
Selfish and quick-tempered
Impulsive and impatient
Foolhardy and daredevil
Jews are:
Patient and reliable
Warmhearted and loving
Persistent and determined
Placid and security loving
Jealous and possessive
Resentful and inflexible
Self-indulgent and greedy
All of these description are pulled from this site. Of course, I replaced signs of the zodiac with races, religions, or ethnicities. My point is that astrology will not destroy the world, but it is a nonsensical way of categorizing and stereotyping people.
I also agree with GP, who seemed to be arguing that if we let India redefine science to include unproven horoscopes, then we have no right to argue when people want to redefine it to include things like "faith healing", "homeopathy", and other forms of bunk. The scientific method goes from "required" to "just another opinion/ivory tower bullshit".
...you are a mad scientist sick of the stupidity of humans and weren't sure which countries to include in your plot for global destruction. Rest assured India made it as easy as the US does.
"All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"
Dot or Feather?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
It was a truly sad day (in 2004) when India's court ruled that astrology was a science, but it wasn't the first. The article states that the Bombay High Court merely reaffirmed this ruling. So it's *another* sad day for India. They just don't know the difference between an philosophy and a science.
So science built their nuclear weapons, but astrology may play a part in launching them?
What's seen in such experiment is the FORER EFFECT.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect
Because there aren't another half a billion Indian chicks...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
I am laughing hard enough to hurt myself. I have a memory of the baby in the bathwater, too.....maybe that'll heal me. Heh...
"Truth is what works" -- William James "It works!!" -- o-dark-AM comment
Feather Indians are Native Americans
Dot Indians are from India.
People who use either phrase tend to not date either type for very long.
I was fooling around with an Indian chick, but she wanted to consult with an astrologer before things got too serious
You should have agreed to it, but get it in writing and hold him responsible if things didn't work out. After all, if the Supreme Court says he's a scientist, then he should have liability, right?
In the worst case, if you didn't get laid he should pay you a hooker. And, no, his momma shouldn't be part of the settlement...