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| kojax |
 Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 8:53 am Post subject: Astrology - how much a role did it play in ancient times? |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 1070
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In something like 2005 or so, the leadership of Bhurma/Myanmar moved its capital from Rangoon, 200 miles north to Pyinmana, supposedly due to the advice of an astrologer, or at least there are rumours.
I think this goes to show that astrology is still a motivating force in the world even today. If that's true, I wonder how much a role it must have played in older times. I wonder how much of history as we know it happened because of some soothsayer's observation of the stars? |
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| Bunbury |
| Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 26 Sep 2007
Posts: 850
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| You only have to go back to the 1980s when Ronald and Nancy Reagan regularly consulted astrologers. |
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| Pong |
| Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 1:43 pm Post subject: Re: Astrology - how much a role did it play in ancient times |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 1412
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| kojax wrote: |
| In something like 2005 or so, the leadership of Bhurma/Myanmar moved its capital from Rangoon, 200 miles north to Pyinmana, supposedly due to the advice of an astrologer, or at least there are rumours. |
Do you know the capital didn't have to move anyway? Quite often government centres get squeezed out of growing cities, find a fresh site, it doesn't matter much where so long as traffic/density/land prices are not driving up the bureaucratic cost of government. Then inevitably whatever site you choose must be seen as favoritism. So how to deflect criticism? Roll the dice. Apply feng shui. Also note these land "astrologers" may present a mystical front but their advice is generally excellent, e.g. "build on the southern slope, high above the marsh". We've solicited their input in Vancouver's city planning, recently.
| kojax wrote: |
| I think this goes to show that astrology is still a motivating force in the world even today. If that's true, I wonder how much a role it must have played in older times. I wonder how much of history as we know it happened because of some soothsayer's observation of the stars? |
Chance does play a role. Where I grew up, people had to dig wells, but few could afford machinery ploughing through the forest to try multiple drillings. So they'd pay the water-witch AKA dowser some small fee, and usually find water. Unscientific, yes, but the field-experienced dowser's guess was as good or better than the landowners'.
I think the hocus pocus, then and now, is just a cover for "intuition". Granny used to say she's "psychic" to explain how she'd perceive things others didn't notice. |
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