So astrologers aren't interested in jumping through Randi's 'flaming hoops'?

For the record- it's the applicants and not Randi who essentially design the test for the prize. They state which properties are to be tested and Randi organizes for independent experts together with the applicant to agree upon a fair protocol. As far as I know, Randi is not even involved in the testing.

If the astrologers don't want the million dollars then they are free to donate it to a worthy charity. Maybe they're too spiritual to be interested in money- but I'm sure that AIDS or cancer victims for instance would appreciate taking the burden of spending the money on medical treatments.

You're a fantasist as evidenced by your nom de plume and your interest in astrology- a completely worthless pseudoscience. Yes- I would hazard a guess that you probably aren't too smart if you consistently favor useless hocus-pocus over the magnificence of real astronomy.

I too enjoy fantasy- but unlike you, I can separate my fantasies from real life. For example, I enjoy Harry Potter books- but I don't for one second think that they're literally true.

You don't have to argue with me about the merits of astrology. Just give me the journal references showing the evidence. Come back to me when an astrologer wins Randi's million dollar prize.

There is no evidence whatsoever in peer reviewed journals that astrology works. There never will be- for the simple reason it doesn't work. WW seems to be clinging to the interpretation that most astrology isn't in the game of making predictions- or actually telling us anything we can test. Well- what are we left with? Just hundreds of books of gibberish, made-up ideas that have no basis in reality and completely useless pseudoscience. At least Harry Potter books have a plot!

Is astrology harmless? No. In perpetuating the falsehood that our destinies are controlled by planetary motions it leads people to make bad and even dangerous decisions. Professional astrologers are con-artists who scam people of their money for worse than useless advice. Their victims are often in crisis, and need direction. It is preying on the gullible, the ignorant and the weak.

In spreading their lies to children, adherents of astrology are undoing the hard work of educators and are robbing their kids of the true wonder of the universe.

Furthermore, astrology is based on falsely stereotyping people because of their birth-dates. For instance- I would be classified as an Aries (Mar 27, 1971). This has nothing whatsoever to do with my personality- so should astrology believers have the power to choose me for employment based on their pseudoscience?

You described astrology as "just like science, but totally different"

OK, now I understand. A bit like a frog is just like a Boeing 747, but totally different.

How is it possible to write so much and yet be so devoid of meaning? Since you seem to admit that astrology has no testable predictions, you're spending your life devoted to a meaningless fantasy. Unlike you, at least Dungeons and Dragons players understand that they're playing a game.

Uh... I'm not a Christian, so your analogy isn't much good to me.

So physics has lots of strange looking symbols and astrology has lots of strange looking symbols. However, the symbols in physics actually mean something and physics makes predictions that can be empirically tested. That's the difference.

Astrology is no more than role playing for fantasists who have a hard time distinguishing reality from fiction. It's not even good fiction. As I said- I'd a million times rather read a Harry Potter book than wade through the arcane and completely meaningless rules of astrology.

I don't believe its practitioners do it only because it's allegedly 'fun'. They do it because they believe astrology is revealing a deeper truth- but when pressed, it seems that even some of its strongest adherents admit that astrology has no predictive power or produces any testable hypotheses- i.e. it doesn't work!

Yes you can make up your own mind- but try and be informed of the centuries of scientific discovery which would have to be revised if astrology were even in the slightest bit true. Be aware that when scientists have tried to test the powers claimed by astrologers they have been unable to find anything at all. Know that astrology makes no sense at any level. It's like trying to believe that an invisible goat is flying over my apartment wearing a Metallica T-shirt.

So- choose your fantasy, and as long as you admit to yourself and others it's all just a made up game- it won't bother me.

You're not saying anything except that you enjoy the mythology of astrology. Fair enough- if it makes you interested in the Greek classics then who am I to dissuade you?

Just don't pretend that you're doing anything except role playing or reading fiction.

Oh - so I suppose my skeptical attitude is present in my natal chart, Aries, 11.13 AM Mar 27, 1971? Here's a challenge. Dig up my chart and read me where it says anyone born at this time will never believe in astrology.

I have to believe in astrology for it to work? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? Normally we trust things because they work. Would you get on an airplane if someone told you that it might look like it was made of cheap parts and could fall apart at any time- but if you believed in it flying enough then it would never crash? Or do you prefer airplanes constructed by engineers based on tried and tested scientific principles?