i think the prophecies of nostradamus are complete and utter crap does anyone agree or disagree?

Answer 1

now i just knew you were gonna ask that question today lol

Answer 2

Well it is like any prophesy, it is interesting how someone a few hundred yes ago guessed at events coming true (just out of interest has the asker actually read any of Nostradamus or just knows about it?)

It is a bit annoying how every big event in the world is conveniently attributed to the guy but people didn't know it was linked to the event until after it happens. I would love to see a true prophecy where someone actually says "in 2034 the Eiffel tower will fall over" and then have it become true, now that would be indisputable :)

Answer 3

It all depends how much he knew about what.

For example, if you know that a particular cycle of solar activity affects the earth's weather - possibly because this has been observed at regular intervals, throughout history - then you might be able to prophesise wild weather.

That might make you a prophet for the ignorant and a good planetologist to the erudite.

Nostradamus was a Physician, and so trained in some ways in the Baconian Scientific method of observation, experimentation and recording of observations and experimental results.

If he had access to a sufficiently large body of detailed records, from other scientists' observations, then he may have been in a position to predict some events. It's called "extrapolation".

It is as likely that he used drugs, though, like many "oracles"!

Answer 4

I strongly agree with you on this score. I've seen books that give transalations of his "Centuries" that seem to make uncanny predictions. One is said to predict the Great London Fire of 1666. (Hmmm, 666 again!) A book I got for 25 cents says one quatrain has something about 66 and people burning. I found what Nostradamus really wrote. He said "vingt trois les sixes". I speak French. That means simply "23 the 6's", whatever that signifies, not "66". We have 20+3 and 6's, not 20X3+6. In any case, 66 is not 1666. Someone said it may refer to Catholic Queen Bloody Mary of England who had Protestants burned in groups of six. Nostradamus was writing about recant events in obscure language, not predicting the future. Hister is in two quatrains, and charlatans say that is Hitler. Actually, Ister or Hister is an old name for the Danube. One quatrain speaks of Hister et Rhine. That obviously refers to Danube and Rhine rivers, not to a man. I could continue, but that's enough for now. All prophets are frauds. Nostradamus made many specific predictions, and they are all totally wrong. He did a horoscpoe for a man and told him when he'd die. The man lived over 20 years after the date predicted. There are wild predictions for the 18th Century that are wrong it is amusing.

Answer 5

Agree

Answer 6

I agree. If they could, just ONE time, use his work to predict something *before* it happened, I would possibly reconsider. For right now, its easy to find similarities between what he wrote and what has happened.

Here, I'll make a Nostradamus-like prediction right now:

"In a great time of turbulence
A great power will fall
Many will die
Until the new ruler saves them"

Watch... I bet in the next 500 years, my prediction will come true!

Answer 7

the prediction which established nostradamus' reputation was 1.35.

Le lyon ieune le vieux surmontera
En champ bellique par singulier
Dans caige d’or les yeux luy creuera
Deux claffes une, puis mourir, mort Cruelle

which seemed fairly clear in its prediction to at least some of the people who read it (including catherine de medici) and most certainly seems to have come true.

....

most of those who have opinions on nostradamus simply have never read him in french - so their point of view is meaningless whichever way it goes.

and there is a lot more to nostradamus than just the prophecies - in fact one could argue that the prophecies are probably the least important body of wisdom he left us.

Answer 8

I agree entirely. If you have aset of predictions which you can only say after the event that they were true they are not predictions in the first place. Nice trick Nostradamus.

Answer 9

Your assessment is correct. The prophesies of Nostradamus are completely useless just like the bible code, reading goat entrails, or any other form of divination.

Answer 10

Of course they're nonsense. Twenty years ago there was a mass murder at the University of Iowa the day after his writing predicted. Some pointed to that as proof of his psychic ability. But I think, given all the Universities that are in this world, there's at least a double murder somewhere everyday! Besides, it was the day **after** he predicted it.

Answer 11

The bits i have heard have been pretty close, although that could have been a dream, my memories these days are pretty dodgy, its the old 'reality versus fantasy' thing. What i want to know is what the prophecies, that the Vatican are hiding, say.