Sky & Telescope January 2002 [antikvár]

spectrumSign of the TimesRICH HARRINGTONI'm no Taurus, but 1 know bull when I see it. And I saw plenty when I opened my Boston Globe last August 28th and read the headline "Heavens Smile on Astrology School." The Astrological institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, is now an accredited institution of higher learning, just like Harvard University. According lo the U.S. Department of Education, "the goal of accreditation is to ensure that institutions of higher education (meet] acceptable levels of quality." This is laughable if the quality of the subject matter taught in those institutions isn't taken into account.But maybe it is. According to a Gallup poll last June, 28 percent of American adults believe that the positions of the stars and planets affect people's lives, and another 18 percent are open to the idea. This means that only half of all American adults understand that astrology is not science but superstition. Obviously they're a minority in some of the private nonprofit organizations that accredit American schools.Recently I checked the astrology column in the Globe, which puts it on the funny pages where it belongs: "Make sure all your finances are in order." "Don't rely on others to handle a job that was assigned to you." "Don't give in to the intrigue of a secret affair." All good advice, no matter what your Sun sign. But the validity of this counsel has nothing to do with the positions of celestial objects. This has been demonstrated time and again by controlled experiments. Even the most "sophisticated" astrology is no better than random chance at predicting worldly events or matching personality profiles to actual persons. As pop psychology, it's as good as anything else that makes you feel better. Beyond that, as John Derbyshire aptly put it in a recent National Review, "astrology is pure flapdoodle."1 wish 1 could dismiss the legitimization of the Astrological Institute (located in the shadow of Kitt Peak National Observatory, for cryin' out loud!) as a fluke, but it's not. Back in June, as the Gallup organization was finalizing its poll results, the Kepler College of Astrological Arts and Sciences in Seatde, Washington, was granted the right to award bachelor's and master's degrees!Why should this bother me? Because I'm a Cancer? No, because once a school wins accreditation, federal grants and loans can be awarded to its students to help pay tuition. In other words, my tax dollars can be used to support the Astrological Institute and Kepler College.This is ridiculous. I'm contacting the Office of the Inspector General, which has a hotline for reporting fraud, waste, and abuse involving federal student-aid funds, and 1 encourage you to do the same. You can phone I-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733) or send e-mail to [email protected]. Do it now!8 January 2002 | Sky & Telescope