Physical and Social

• Physical science is the scientific study of physical or natural phenomena that are largely unrelated to human behavior and social interactions. Also termed natural or hard science, this is concerned with the scientific study of such things as atoms, planets, wildlife, and continental drift and includes the disciplines of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, and geology, among others.


• Social science is the scientific study of society, including human behavior and social interactions. Economics is one of several disciplines that apply the scientific method to the study of human behavior. Others are sociology, political science, and anthropology.

A Continuing Process

The process is ongoing. Science is a journey, not a destination.

Real or Fake?

• Real Science: Using a theory that contains principles such as the law of gravity, astronomy can generate a hypothesis about the relative positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun one year from today. This hypothesis can be tested one year hence against the actual positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun. Are they located as hypothesized? If they are, great, the theory works. If not, then science seeks to understand why the prediction failed. The theory is modified and additional hypotheses are tested. And along the way, more is learned about the universe.


• Pretend Science: Astrology provides what appears to be similar sorts of hypotheses. These show up every morning in the newspaper. If someone is a Leo, born from July 23 through August 22, then astrology seems to hypothesize that this particular person will "take time with a family member and take charge of a personal matter."


• No Hypothesis: Unfortunately, this apparent prediction provides no testable hypothesis. It presents no cause-and-effect relation that, if verified, emerges as a fundamental law of nature. What causes what in this "hypothesis?" Does "being a Leo" cause a person to "take time with a family member?" Is there an astrological force, like gravity, at work?


• No Test: And how is this "hypothesis" be tested? What are the "variables?" What constitutes a "family member?" Does a distant cousin, twice removed, qualify? What events fall under the heading of a "personal matter?" What events do not fall under the heading of a "personal matter?"

  The prediction, this hypothesis, is so ambiguous that it is meaningless. At the end of the day millions of folks born under the Leo astrological sign, as well as those born under other signs, could say, "Yes, I took time with a family member and took charge of a personal matter."

  But most important of all, how could this "hypothesis" be refuted? And what does it mean if a Leo "did not take time with a family member" or "did not take charge of a personal matter?" Does this refute the "hypothesis?" Does this invalidate the "theory?"



• Fixing Faults: If the Earth, Moon and Sun are not in the positions hypothesized by the science of astronomy, then something is wrong with the theory. Further analysis and hypothesis testing is needed. Perhaps one of the astronomical laws of nature is faulty.

  If a Leo "did not take time with a family member or did not take charge of a personal matter," do astrologists scrutinize and fix the "laws of astrology?" Probably not, because astrology is not a science, it does not seek to understand the real world.