How can the Nostradamus enigma be best explained? Are there other explanations other than the most obvious explanation in that people read what they want into his verses and interpret it in ways they believe?
2007-10-24 12:09:00 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I have actually studied his centuries and can tell you they are very vague and open to interpretation.
However I am impressed with the medical care he gave during the plague.
So, I would say you are correct.
2007-10-24 12:13:18 · answer #1 · answered by Pangloss (Ancora Imparo) AFA 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The predictions he made were couched in very general terms, and therefore many of them could relate to anything at all. Only about a quarter have been tied to events that have happened. The rest is all stuff along the lines of 'The Lady shall return from across the water'. Eventually, it is an absolute certainty that some important lady somewhere will come back to her former post having been away for a bit, possibly in another country across the sea, and some people will say "OK, Nostradamus predicted that one as well".
In the UK a tabloid newspaper, the Sun, suggested that Margaret Thatcher was returning as Prime Minister because of the above quotation. Thank **** that never happened...
2007-10-24 19:25:09 · answer #2 · answered by Citizen Justin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just the second part applies.
One quatrain cooked up by a college student a few years before 9/11 was attributed to Nostrodamus before the mistake was discovered. Many still believe it.
2007-10-24 19:13:02 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The ones that came true weren't exactly reaching out on any limb.
It's like the "Jerusalem will be destroyed" business in the Bible. It has all the predictive power of "Stephen Hawking would be bad at jazz dance."
2007-10-24 19:21:57 · answer #4 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know much about him, but I don't think he's predicted anything.
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/predict.htm
James Randi's book debunking claims of Nostradamus's prophecies.(the guy who is offering a million dollars to anyone who can prove, something supernatural)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mask_of_Nostradamus
2007-10-24 19:21:48 · answer #5 · answered by lilith 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He predicted nothing. He made broad vague statements that can be interpreted any way the reader sees fit.
2007-10-24 19:13:59 · answer #6 · answered by meissen97 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is just like the bible, people will read and believe what they want to believe without any supporting facts to back up their claim.
2007-10-24 20:04:22 · answer #7 · answered by Imagine No Religion 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What enigma? Its a crock.
Atheist.
2007-10-24 19:14:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yup. plus, he made several thousand predictions. when one comes true...it gets attention. for every one that comes true another 9 don't. they don't often talk about all the things he said would happen that never did. that sort of topic isn't nearly as interesting or sexy.
2007-10-24 19:13:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's no enigma. He wrote vague bollocks, and even that hasn't come true.
2007-10-24 19:12:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋