Women and Astrology, psychics etc.

Roger Hassenforder

Hector Savage wrote: »

I've noticed in some papers now, the astrology page is now in entertainment section.

Which is good, it used to be in "Health" or "Living" ....

I wonder whot do people who take this nonsense seriously (bless) do when the read horoscopes that contradict each other.

Was watching God and Something on netflix (Moses film) the other night, and some Egyptian priestess cut the liver (or something) out of a goose (might have been a small swan) and read the future. Wonder do horoscope aficionados give as much credence in that kind of nonsense.

Hector Savage

Cassidy Crashing Denim wrote: »

This is the narkiest fcuking thread! And it didn't even go down the women-bashing route despite it being AH and "women" being in the title! Tis Mercury lads I'm telling ye.

Don't be ridicolous, it's Jupiter rising near the full moon !!!!

ILoveYourVibes

Autecher wrote: »

I think that was the most disappointing thing about this thread for me
So much potential there....:(

We can still turn it around. There's still time.

It will have to be up to you though. I'm off.

ILoveYourVibes

:cool:

Also...

Roger Hassenforder

Capricorn:
Today some Sagittarians will be annoyed, and give offence. A tall, dark stranger brings a gift, while a Gemini might be interested in your proposal. Dont walk out in front of the 208 bus.

Hector Savage

I'll keep posting this on every Astrology thread I see ....

kikilarue2

I enjoyed this article from a psychology lecturer on his beliefs. As an academic, I would assume he's not stupid by any conventional metric. Might buy his book on the topic.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/out-the-darkness/201404/do-psychic-phenomena-exist-0

Hector Savage

kikilarue2 wrote: »

I enjoyed this article from a psychology lecturer on his beliefs. As an academic, I would assume he's not stupid by any conventional metric. Might buy his book on the topic.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/out-the-darkness/201404/do-psychic-phenomena-exist-0

pseudo scientific crap, basically saying "we don't know" ... fair enough, but you can say the same crap about God, or unicorns or the martian T pot ....

kikilarue2

Hector Savage wrote: »

pseudo scientific crap, basically saying "we don't know" ... fair enough, but you can say the same crap about God, or unicorns or the martian T pot ....

The points that stood out to me were

- the limitations of our own consciousness (lots of people on here are saying "if there was anything to it, we'd all be able to perceive it, this is a counter-argument to that)

- the origin of consciousness (I didn't know there was no hard science behind explanations of this - and I found the theory he mentioned interesting)

- skepticism of skeptics (he put this really well. Everyone is looking for a way to explain the world, some people are devoutly religious, some people place all their faith in material science despite its limitations)

- personal experience/ anecdotal evidence (I don't expect anyone to change their world view based on anecdotal evidence, but it can and is often used in science to back up other findings)

I don't expect anyone to change their minds. I'm fine with everyone believing whatever they want.

Even though I don't believe in horoscopes myself, I don't think they are any more harmful or less ridiculous than Catholocism or Islam, which don't get the same level of ridicule.

Peace out, everyone :cool:

Autecher

kikilarue2 wrote: »

I enjoyed this article from a psychology lecturer on his beliefs. As an academic, I would assume he's not stupid by any conventional metric. Might buy his book on the topic.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/out-the-darkness/201404/do-psychic-phenomena-exist-0

Kiki I have not agreed with most of what you have said on this thread, I don't really care that much to be honest. I definitely have not liked the tone of some of the posts directed at you though, essentially just for having the temerity (I love that word!) to not share a belief with certain other posters, it wasn't a nice thing to see.

Your money is your own to do what you want with so I can only suggest to you please do not buy that book! He makes no argument there other than "these things could exist but we don't know yet".


Use the money on something better.... Like buying me cake

Autecher

kikilarue2 wrote: »

Even though I don't believe in horoscopes myself, I don't think they are any more harmful or less ridiculous than Catholocism or Islam, which don't get the same level of ridicule.

On that I agree with you. I don't care if someone is very religious, swears by star signs, collects action figures as a grown adult etc...
Just don't be a dickhead or annoy me and I'll have no problem with you

Roger Hassenforder

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

Capricorn:
Today some Sagittarians will be annoyed, and give offence. A tall, dark stranger brings a gift, while a Gemini might be interested in your proposal. Dont walk out in front of the 208 bus.

Approx 1/12 of the population are going to get a gift from a tall, dark stranger. Hope it's not the same guy, could be nearly as busy as Santa.

mikhail

kikilarue2 wrote: »

- the limitations of our own consciousness (lots of people on here are saying "if there was anything to it, we'd all be able to perceive it, this is a counter-argument to that)

If it doesn't change anything, there's literally no difference between it existing and not existing, and the only basis for believing in it is that you want to. That's the point of Russell's teapot. You can dress it up in any fancy language you like, but you're imagining something that can't be tested and then insisting it might be real.

topper75

Women bashing and forced equality narratives are equally idiotic.

Bobblehats

Hokum

kikilarue2

Bobblehats wrote: »

Hokum

Now there’s a Sheldon Cooper word.

Bobblehats

kikilarue2 wrote: »

Now there’s a Sheldon Cooper word.

Coincidence. Does he have a copyright?! I never watched that fella not once

Roger Hassenforder

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Approx 1/12 of the population are going to get a gift from a tall, dark stranger. Hope it's not the same guy, could be nearly as busy as Santa.

Could be the gift of an STD

topper75

topper75 wrote: »

Women bashing and forced equality narratives are equally idiotic.

How is pointing out the reality that women are more likely to believe in astrology "women bashing"?
Is it "men bashing" to point out that as men they're more likely to be a WWE fan??
There wasn't any judgement on believers of astrology offered in the OP. Don't be so sensitive.

Mister Vain

astrofool wrote: »

Sooo, any men on here that believe in astrology and psychics?

As much fun as watching a back and forth about whether magic exists is.

No I'd be more into the conspiracy theories and storming area 51 and what not.

mcmoustache

Mister Vain wrote: »

No I'd be more into the conspiracy theories and storming area 51 and what not.

This is the point I made yesterday.

The market for woo could well be split 50/50 between men and women but the difference is in the types of woo that the sexes are attracted to.

Standman

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

My swamp donkey on an ex-wife used to visit psychics a lot. Funny they weren’t able to tell her that I was ending the marriage and moving out for the good of my sanity and happiness.

Haha! Hope she got a refund.

branie2

This is really weird! There's only supposed to be one in each pack!

I've no belief in religion, psychics, astrology, homeopathy, flying spaghetti monsters or numerology, but I don't think anyone who does is automatically stupid.

Some people have more room for doubt than others, whereas I would fully accept cold reading, say, as a likely explanation for a psychic pinning down things about my life, other people are harder to convince. That could be because of how they think or because of an innate bias, and we all have our biases.

Research shows that beliefs are formed first, and rationalised after, and that's it's very difficult to shift an ingrained belief from a person with even very good, or obvious, evidence. This swings both ways, someone like me would be very hard to convince that astrology* has something to it, even if evidence suddenly emerged that completely validated it. That's because of how I think, and my biases.

I don't have any belief in any of the things outlined in the OP and I think people should bear in mind that just because something isn't easily explicable or currently explicable, doesn't make it magical or mystical. It just means we don't know - yet. Again, willingness to believe doesn't always equal credulity - although it can.



*and I say that as someone who's parents were given a traditional Indian jyotisha birth chart compiled by an apparently renowned expert, as a gift when I was born. It's very general and I recognise nothing about myself in it, but if I wanted to believe it held some insight I could easily find it in its very broad scope.

Mister Vain

Swamp donkey.

jpm4

Mister Vain wrote: »

Swamp donkey.

Or Moon Pig.

the culture of deference

Stars change position over time so all the constellation positions and structures are constantly changing.

kikilarue2 wrote: »

So you don’t hang out with anyone who’s religious at all, and as well as considering them stupid you think they are cretins?

If you choose to believe a particular religion without understanding the history of it then yes.

kikilarue2 wrote: »

How is believing in psychics any more ridiculous than believing the central tenets of Catholicism or Islam?

They are equally ridiculous.

Candie wrote: »

I've no belief in religion, psychics, astrology, homeopathy, flying spaghetti monsters or numerology, but I don't think anyone who does is automatically stupid.

Everything you mentioned can be debunked. If you know something is not real and you still believe it then you are leaving yourself open to ridicule

HappyAsLarE

I wouldn’t be quick to dismiss a belief in religion or God as being as shallow as a belief in psychics or horoscopes.

Religion is humans’ way of teaching morals. Of course it has flaws, but this method has been selected by nature for more or less every branch of human evolution across the globe.

I don’t believe in God, but I believe we should act like He exists. Horoscopes don’t carry such meaning.

Holly13

I know a few people (all female) who have gone to psychics at some point.
Most have them have gone for a bit of fun etc.
I don’t believe anyone can predict the future but I do believe some “psychics” do have a “gift”.
This gift is a talent for reading people. A few of my friends who have gone to psychics have been amazed that the psychic “knew things about them, stuff that happened to them”.
However this stuff was all either in the past or present.
I also think some psychics might not realize they are using this talent and may actually believe they are “psychic”.
These reading techniques can be developed and improve with practice. Apparently intelligence agencies/ spies use them when questioning people.

Holly13

Holly13 wrote: »

This gift is a talent for reading people. A few of my friends who have gone to psychics have been amazed that the psychic “knew things about them, stuff that happened to them”.
However this stuff was all either in the past or present.
I also think some psychics might not realize they are using this talent and may actually believe they are “psychic”.
These reading techniques can be developed and improve with practice. Apparently intelligence agencies/ spies use them when questioning people.

You've touched on something few others have in this thread. Essentially, those who proclaim to be "psychic" are often better at perceiving body language than the average individual. This is an advantage when a subtle gesture can betray something revealing about the person without them even realising it. I won't post the video here in case I'm breaching guidelines, but there is a YouTube clip of a former FBI agent (via Wired) who offers a compelling insight into reading techniques.