Candle In The Dark

Astrology's disrespect for 
astronomy is shocking, writes Biplab Das

In an age when we are cherishing the prospect of a manned space probe to be dispatched to Mars, astrologers are still hoodwinking the gullible, suggesting Mars' influence on human life as an omen of bloodshed and death, and disregarding the facts uncovered by astronomy. 

The recent proposal of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to introduce Vedic astrology in the university curriculum makes things worse. Armed with a degree, these 'graduates' will gain undeserved legitimacy. 

This has alarmed the Indian scientific community, and symposia are being held throughout the country, criticising the UGC's plan. To unveil the sham of astrology, the Indian Statistical Institute Club, too, organised a scientific discussion at the geology auditorium of ISI recently. 

'Is astrology knowledge or anti-knowledge?' This was the topic of discussion for the lone speaker, Prof. Somesh Dasgupta, honorary visiting professor at the statistics and mathematics unit of ISI, and, editor of the journal Sankhya. 

Astrology is based on guesswork and beliefs. It was born in ancient Babylon nearly 3,000 years ago and has been carried across the globe by seafaring people. "Earth was thought to be the centre of the Universe and this view held sway until Nicolas Copernicus heralded the heliocentric system," said Prof. Dasgupta. Earth was dethroned and moon gained the status of a satellite revolving around it. "But the irony is that astrologers still treat moon as a planet," Prof. Dasgupta lamented. 

To them, sun is also a planet. Space probes and observations from earth have deciphered its chemistry and physics to a great extent. Sun's periodic changes not only influence man but every life form on earth. "Several researches have shown that solar storms are deflected by moon's gravity and meteoric dust blown up by the storms make their way to earth, accelerating the condensation of clouds and causing increased rainfall," explained Prof. Dasgupta. 

When an astrologer correlates sun's activity with a man's life, he evades what science has to offer. Knowledge accumulated in science is always subject to scrutiny. In other words, science is fallible and modifiable. 

On the other hand, since its inception, astrology has made no amendments in its laws. Thus, it contradicts the basic tenets of science. "In astrology, moon has been thought to have effects on women's menstrual cycle. But its true effect manifested in the rise and fall of the ocean tides," said Prof. Dasgupta. 

In our society, faith has an edge over rationality. "Faith overrides logic, giving a sort of mental satisfaction," added Prof. Dasgupta. Most astrologers cash in on this weakness of mind and fool people. And once in a while a prediction hits the target. "Statistics, with the help of the theory of probability, can prove that it is sheer chance when a prediction made by an astrologer comes true," Prof. Dasgupta argued. 

Surprisingly, astrologers do not consider planets lying beyond Saturn while making their predictions. But since Newton discovered the laws of gravity, rational people have known that heavenly bodies exert gravitational force on each other. Furthermore, visible light, radio waves and other electromagnetic radiations are constantly coming to us from these remote objects. 

Astrologers take advantage of the fact that the periods of the heavenly bodies are such that they span different periods of man's life to back up their hypocritical claims. But it is well established now that the characteristics of a person are determined when the egg and sperm fuse together at the time of conception. They have nothing to do with planetary configuration at the time of birth. Astrologers' hallowed prop, the horoscope, is a futile map to predict man's course of life. "Despite having mapped out the human genome, geneticists make no ambitious claim of producing a man's horoscope," declared Prof. Dasgupta. 

To astrologers, their knowledge is infallible and inscrutable. They stick to methods that have remained unchanged for 3,000 years. During the same period, the constellations of stars have changed their position, but astrologers, being oblivious to this fact, correlate important events on earth with the visibility of a certain constellation of stars in the sky. 

"Moreover, astrologers do not take into account the precession of the equinoxes," said Prof. Dasgupta. According to astronomers, earth revolves around sun while rotating on its own axis like a top. This journey enables earth to encounter new constellations of stars at different times. Due to this, correlating the zodiac with any particular constellation of stars is not possible. 

The combined attraction of sun and moon affect the earth as a whole and not the individual human beings. From the laws of physics it is clear that the planets cannot greatly affect the weather or other terrestrial phenomena, leave alone the lives of individuals. 

"It is a shattering message that the government prioritises the study of astrology while lagging behind in other fields of education," lamented Prof. Dasgupta. According to him, this proposal betrays the infirm foundation of our education system, distorted by the whims of wily demagogues. "Before it is too late, we should employ science as a candle in the dark to cultivate rational thinking among our countrymen," Prof. Dasgupta said. "It would definitely emancipate innocent people from the quagmire of superstition."