Editorial
The celebrated British physicist Stephen Hawking was in Delhi on January 17 to deliver the Albert Einstein Lecture 2001. Interestingly, The topic of his lecture was "Predicted the Future: From Astrology to Black Holes". In his characteristics style he said, "the reason most scientists don't believe in astrology is that it is not consistent with our theories which have been tested by experiment". This implies that for a subject to be projected as science, it is necessary to examine whether it follows the scientific discipline by making specific assumption on which it rests. It also follows that the predictions need to be accompanied by tests to approve them right. Indeed, this is how science & society have progressed. Sometimes, the basic ideas or assumptions on which the theory is based, may need to be modified or even discarded when more accurate observations are found to be going against them. An example is the Newtonian gravity. Though highly successful, is no gainsaying the fact that a scientific prediction is always characterised by a principle that a provable.
Astrology has been here for centuries, and continues to fascinate the human beings, many of whom even scrupulously regulate their daily activities based on their astrological forecasts. How is it that we wait for the Sunday newspapers for our weekly forecasts? Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that the positions of the planets and the times of birth do not dictate the course of human affairs, astrology will be with us in the foreseeable future. Why is it so? Given the unpredictable turns in the lives of the individual, often chaotic, most of us long for the comfort of having guidance in making decision. It gives a heady feeling when an astrologer tells us that our personal character and destiny are tied up with the stars- of course for a fee! Further, it is so convenient to blame our failures on cosmic events that are beyond our control! It is this urge to seek correlations between the unpredictable turns in the lives of the individuals and regular movements of the planets that astrology came into being.
Even five centuries after Nikolaus Copernicus, astrologers continue to base their predictions on the assumption that the Earth is at the centre of the universe. In Vedic astrology, the "planets" include the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Rahu and Ketu. Incidentally, Rahu and Ketu do not even have any physical existence. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto even after that were discovered, have failed to secure a place in this list. Despite the assumptions at variance with the established knowledge, the horoscopes of individuals are expected to predict their future accurately. Did all those who perished in the recent Gujarat Earthquake have this unfortunate event predicted in their horoscopes? May be, it would be worthwhile instituting a study for a purpose. A famous astrologer states that in astrological predictions what matters is "intuition" - more than anything else. Obviously there is no way to test a theory based on assumptions that are not well-defined or rely on one's intuition alone!
Indeed, astrology has played an important role in the growth and development of human understanding of natural phenomena. The study of planetary motions was prompted by the demands of astrology for determining planetary positions with greater accuracy. Just the way alchemy led to the study of chemistry, astrology led to the study of astronomy. Astrology had its influence on human history as well, the study of which could certainly be relevant and useful.
However, it must be remembered that all scientific disciplines derive their legitimacy from the scientific method, the foundations of which include a respect for data, consistent reasoning, observational checks and the possibility of experimental refutation. At this juncture one may ask, with an "open mind", if the method or practice of astrology conforms to the method of science.
