Thursday, June 14, 2007

The science of astrology

Michael Behe believes that astrology ought to be taught in classrooms. Actually, he doesn't. I wrote about this some time ago. However, it still suits various people, including commenters here, to believe that he does.

If you want to know more about the scientific status of astrology, today's "In Our Time" on Radio 4 was about astrology. Whilst it may surprise many people, the experts on the programme insisted that until around AD 1500, astrology had a similar scientific standing to other sciences, like medicine. And there was a rationale which underlay this view, as well.

Which was pretty much as Michael Behe said in the Dover Trial.

The experts all three also suggested, in opposition to Melvyn Bragg, the presenter, that there wasn't a sudden disappearance of the influence of astrology, even as late as Newton, and reformation was thought to be the way forward, rather than wholesale rejection.