A question for Horoscope regulars?

Question

What do you think of trying to get Y!A to move the "horoscope" section to a different category and getting them to change the name to "Astrology"?

While some of the sun sign drivel that comes out here can only be classified as "entertainment", IMO, many of us here actually have/would like to aquire a more in depth understanding of the topic, and I feel that moving Astrology (or horoscopes if you must call it that) to a different section may help to encourage more thoughtful and interesting questions. I'm interested in your opinions, so please let me know what you think. If the consensus of the majority is that it should be moved, maybe we can get the attention of Y!A somehow and get this fixed :-)

Well this is encouraging! Let's see how much more response we get.

day78dreamer - I was thinking of sending them this thread as a kind of petition.

mhiaa - I hadn't thought that there would be legal ramifications for Yahoo. there still must be a better place for this forum than entertainment and music, though.

sophieb, swami clearly doesn't know me very well.

Thank you, Polly. This was exactly what I had in mind when I suggested the name change in the first place.

Answer 1

I totally support you!!

The 4000 year old subject of astrology which takes years of study and research to understand and practice deserves the respect of being placed under a more serious section and category.

Well done for bringing up this topic!

Answer 2

I feel very strongly about this because on the one hand it is the misinterpretation of the word horoscope which is wrong.

Horoscope technically means the ascendant but is often extended to mean the whole birth chart, but in any case does not mean SUN SIGNS.

But regarding moving the placement of this section out of entertainment I know that the laws certainly in the UK now state that any portrayal in the media of astrology and certain other fields must be only as a form of entertainment and must not imply that there is anything real or serious about the subject.

I don't think it matters where this section is placed, because there are still going to be plenty of answers which are either harmlessly facetious and coming from people who are just bored or quite dogmatic and sometimes vehement about how much rubbish it all is.

As long as we get sensible, meaningful contributions from the people who matter, we can surely ignore the rest.

Answer 3

A star from me too. It's been suggested several times. I mean look at where they have paranormal categorized. If they want horoscopes, fine, keep it in entertainment. But if people want astrology, put it in another category. Rumor has it Yahoo is afraid of a lawsuit unless it's stuck in entertainment. So I guess the difficult part is convincing them that horoscopes and astrology are not the same really.

Answer 4

Great idea!!!! The forum should be assigned under the Sciences, being that it is a Science after all, kind of like how mathematically conscious persons wouldn't consider math to be mere entertainment, as there is clearly some level of depth, and intruige which has been proven to have a direct affect on us and how we live evryday life.

The fact is that astrology DOES have a hugely consequential affect on us, in our every day lives. Government officials, ppl in the big business and even the little guys use the study of astrology in attempt to realise patterns of the planets and how we would have to modify our strategies, how and when to implement our ideas and when to reveal them to the majority of the people, and so on.

The way the planets move around us has a seemingly subtle, but entirely monumental affect on our moods, relationships, and level of overall desire... Surely it is about time we all learn to accept it.

Answer 5

Kudos and Cheers! to you for raising this issue. Having myself just recently earned a TOP CONTRIBUTOR badge in this category it goes without saying that I agree.

Hopefully Yahoo! Answer will hear and comply with our concerns.

In the meantime if you and others find that YOU are truly interested in finding a higher level of Astrological discourse (minus the trolls and naysayers) as well as a more in depth understanding of the subject then I would like to extend to you an invitation to join me over at Astrology-List.

Astrology-List is the Yahoo! group that I both own and moderate. Astrology-List is a meeting place and discussion group designed for both the novice and professional alike.

I am always accepting new interesting members.
Please come join us!

Astrology-List-subscribe@yahoo groups.com

if you have any questions feel free to email me :)

Answer 6

Hi,
A good idea. Astrology as a named category might attract those who are more serious about the subject giving a better chance to those who would like to learn more about chart interpretation.
Polly

Answer 7

I'm definitely with you on this one. I have noticed that many people who do show an interest in Astrology are beginning to come up with questions beyond the Sun sign drivel. For instance, tonight I was surprised to find a question asking for identification of the Mutable Signs....now, that was refreshing....and of course, they received a well deserved star.

Answer 8

I agree. I think Astrology would be a better name for it. In my opinion I think of the term "horoscopes" as something that I would think of as an every day type of thing. I think that it's slightly different than Astrology. I think of Astrology as knowledge, you can learn more about it.

I think of horoscopes as more of entertainment type, and astrology as more of the knowledge-want-to-know-more type.

I would like to see more people in this section that are serious about learning about it. Not just..."oh, do you think this guy and i would be a perfect match, i'm a leo, he's an aquarius" type stuff.

I'm actually willing to learn more about it, more in depth stuff.

=))

Answer 9

WOW!! quite a while ago, (according to the time counter on yahoo, 2 months ago), i asked a question pretty similar to yours! i am glad to hear the same from another person :). here is the link to the question i asked "long" ago LOL. and i do consider myself a "Horoscope" regular....though i prefer to call it the astrology section:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApQv9X.QxFoYoddB.dMP6sjty6IX?qid=20070715184511AAyRAdi

i back you up 100%. we believers have to stick together if we want to make this happen! im tired of the bad image astrology gets in yahoo just because it is classified as the "horoscopes" section. i hope we can do something about this. thank you.

Answer 10

You want it in science, then ask yourself can astrology use "the scientific method"?

1. Ask a question – determine a natural phenomenon (or group of phenomena) that you are curious about and would like to explain or learn more about, then ask a specific question to focus your inquiry.

2. Research the topic – this step involves learning as much about the phenomenon as you can, including by studying the previous studies of others in the area.

3. Formulate a hypothesis – using the knowledge you have gained, formulate a hypothesis about a cause or effect of the phenomenon, or the relationship of the phenomenon to some other phenomenon.

4. Test the hypothesis – plan and carry out a procedure for testing the hypothesis (an experiment) by gathering data.

5. Analyze the data – use proper mathematical analysis to see if the results of the experiment support or refute the hypothesis.

If the data does not support the hypothesis, it must be rejected or modified and re-tested.

The goal of the scientific method is to get results that accurately represent the physical processes taking place in the phenomenon. To that end, it emphasizes a number of traits to insure that the results it gets are valid to the natural world.
objective – the scientific method intends to remove personal and cultural biases by focusing on objective testing procedures.

Consistent – the laws of reasoning should be used to make hypotheses that are consistent with broader, currently known scientific laws; even in rare cases where the hypothesis is that one of the broader laws is incorrect or incomplete, the hypothesis should be composed to challenge only one such law at a time.

Observable – the hypothesis presented should allow for experiments with observable and measurable results.

Pertinent – all steps of the process should be focused on describing and explaining observed phenomena.

Parsimonious – only a limited number of assumptions and hypothetical entities should be proposed in a given theory, as stated in Occam's Razor.

Falsifiable – the hypothesis should be something which can be proven incorrect by observable data within the experiment, or else the experiment is not useful in supporting the hypothesis. (This aspect was most prominently illuminated by the philosopher of science Karl Popper.)

Reproducible – the test should be able to be reproduced by other observers with trials that extend indefinitely into the future.

If astrology could use the method, it would. But it can't. There will never be a Nobel Prize in the "science" of astrology. Belief is in the core and testing even with co-operation with "professional" astrologers have shown astrology is no better than chance.

I do agree that it should be moved to a Magical Thinking section with all the other irrational and unproved pseudoscience.

Edit: If you want true science, take some time and get into astronomy. Truth and sheer beauty beats the wanabes.