Astrology is one of the most popular disciplines in India. Almost every important activity like marriage, grah-pravesh (solemn entrance into a house), joining the office, starting a journey, starting a film, or even an oath-taking ceremony of politicians occurs only after consulting the astrologers.
Astrology played a crucial role even when India gained Independence from British rule on August 15, 1947. India’s astrologers were quite upset when Mountbatten announced the date of Independence of India without consulting them. According to La Pierre and Collins, authors of the book “Freedom at Midnight”, one astrologer, Swamin Madamanand, even wrote to Mountbatten, saying, “For the love of God, do not give India her Independence on August 15. If floods, famine and massacres follow, it will be because free India was born on a day cursed by the stars.”
Indian astrologers discovered that on August 15, 1947, India would lie under the Zodiac sign of Makara, or Capricorn. Further, ominous Saturn highly influenced the day, complicated by the dominance of Rahu, which is characterised by fury and aggressiveness. So, a compromise was reached, and India was given Independence during the midnight hour between August 14 and 15. The logic was that according to the West, a new day begins at midnight, but according to the Hindu calendar, it begins at sunrise. 1
India gained its independence more than 75 years ago, but the faith of Indians in astrology has not diminished even today. Most Indians still consult their astrologers before making important decisions like buying property, entering business deals, making investments, and even getting married. Most Indians consider astrology as a science. Many universities in India, like Banaras Hindu University (BHU), have even started full-time BA courses in astrology.
However, the scientific community worldwide considers astrology a pseudoscience, which means it is a belief system that cannot be proven or disproven through scientific methods for the following reasons.
- Astrology has not been shown to be effective in controlled studies.
- There is no proposed mechanism that explains how the positions of stars and planets could affect people and events on Earth.
- Astrologers do not share their findings or critically evaluate the results of others.
- Astrologers do not follow the scientific method.
- Studies have shown that astrological predictions are no more accurate than chance.
While astrologers claim to make accurate predictions of almost everything in the world, studies have revealed that their predictions are no better than tossing a coin.
In 2008, a study was conducted by Narlikar et al. to investigate the validity of astrology in predicting intelligence and developmental disabilities. In this double-blind test, 27 astrologers were given 40 random birth charts, with half belonging to intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals and half to intelligent individuals. The astrologers were then asked to identify which charts belonged to which group based solely on astrological analysis. The study revealed,
- None of the astrologers could correctly classify the charts with an accuracy of 70% or better.
- Average Success Rate: 43.13%, which is less than chance.
Accordingly, the study concluded that astrology is no more accurate than chance, and its predictions are totally unreliable.
A critical thinker can’t accept the claims of astrology as their predictions are of no use, and it would be better to toss a coin and make a prediction that will at least provide a 50% accurate prediction than astrology, whose prediction has been a mere 43.13%.
People continue to have faith in astrology because the astrological predictions sometimes come true, just as some decisions taken by tossing the coin may also turn out to be the right decisions. However, astrologers don’t formally record the accuracy of their predictions and always refer to only those predictions that turn out to be true, ignoring that prediction where they are wrong. As a result, most people continue to believe that astrologers can make accurate predictions about their future and find a way to change their future by following the prescribed rituals. Astrology has emerged to be one of the more lucrative businesses worldwide.
In conclusion, the widespread belief in astrology in India, despite its classification as a pseudoscience by the global scientific community, underscores the need for a critical and nuanced perspective. The lack of empirical evidence, the absence of a plausible mechanism, and the failure to follow the scientific method all cast doubt on astrology’s claims. Ultimately, the fact that astrological predictions are no more accurate than chance, as demonstrated by studies, highlights the importance of separating cultural significance from scientific validity.
Note: The author has also published the article on Quora. 2
- https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-explore/how-astrology-played-a-major-role-in-choosing-the-date-of-indias-independence ↩︎
- https://qr.ae/pYXuma ↩︎
