https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw by Mya Brillinger en-us 2023-01-28 17:43:12 UTC 2023-02-11 23:52:11 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f31b.png myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2459922338 by Mya Brillinger, working individually]]> 2023-01-28 18:23:08 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2459922338 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2459977074 Explanation:
In the past century, science and technology have made significant advancements to allow scientists to study and learn about the world around us. Because of this, humanity has gained access to more knowledge and resources to improve our lives and better understand the world we live in. Believing that early humans had more knowledge than we do today is backward thinking, as they did not have the tools to study what scientists do modern-day.

How does Ancient Wisdom connect to Astrology?
The video shown above, titled "Origins Of The Ancient Zodiac And Astrology", details how astrology as a practice was discovered in Mesopotamia during the Babylonian Empire. It explains how the ancients used the constellations to dictate many aspects of life and society. It was ancient wisdom that the stars and planets were living beings and had the ability to provide guidance to humanity. The flaw with this logic is that, once again, there is no evidence to suggest that any claims from the past are fact. Ancient people from Mesopotamia made observations of the stars and assigned meanings to them, but they did not have the technology to be able to make sufficient studies of space and the universe as we do today. ]]> 2023-01-28 20:32:13 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2459977074 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2460635411 Explanation:
Do you believe that a God or Goddess from the Greek Pantheon rules over your star sign? This is called Agenticity. It is very common for religions or cultures to assign a higher meaning to phenomena that we cannot understand or explain as if a God or spirit is controlling it to guide us.

How does Agenticity connect to Astrology?
When Astrology was created in Babylon circa. 3rd millennium BCE, people observed the planets' movements and began assigning certain Gods from their pantheon to the planets they observed. They believed that the Gods could control the planets in our solar system, and using that they could control the events of what happens on Earth. The problem with this belief is it relies on a geocentric solar system because the ancients believed the stars and planets revolved around us, which we now know is false.


]]> 2023-01-29 23:24:18 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2460635411 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2460658557 Explanation:
As humans, it is natural that we look for patterns and consistencies in the world around us. Often, we assign meaning to meaningless and mundane patterns simply because our brains are trained to do so. This red flag is called Patternicity.

How does Patternicity connect to Astrology?
Because of the association between the night sky observed at a certain time during the calendar year and one's date of birth, it is often believed that your personality and life are predetermined by the stars at birth. Natal charts are often used in Astrology to predict your life, personality, relationships, and career based solely on the star position during your exact date and time of birth. One flaw with this belief is that it doesn't recognize that your personality and life are often influenced by a variety of other factors (ex. upbringing, personal experiences, psychological factors, family medical history). This also connects to the pseudoscience watchlist because the results cannot be reproduced or verified, since no one person will relate completely to their astrological natal chart. It is impossible to completely predict someone's life based on the position of the stars during their birth. ]]> 2023-01-30 00:14:35 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2460658557 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2462181620 Explanation:
During a game of darts, only the darts that hit the board are counted for points, and the misses are not. When this tactic is applied to a social situation (ex. fortune telling, tarot cards, psychic readings), this is called Confirmation Bias. People naturally gravitate towards evidence that confirms our beliefs rather than disproves them. We are more likely to retain the memory of a "hit" than a "miss" based on how true we believe it to be.

How does Confirmation Bias connect to Astrology?
Many people who believe in Astrology will often follow their horoscopes in the weekly magazine, newspaper, or online.   The issue with Confirmation Bias in astrology is that it often requires those who read their daily horoscopes to actively seek out confirming evidence to reinforce the belief. One limitation of astrology is that these horoscope readings are generalized texts based on each zodiac sign, meaning that the reading will not always be accurate. This also connects to the pseudoscience watchlist because newspapers and websites will often use horoscopes to entice people into subscribing, meaning that money is involved. ]]> 2023-01-30 22:54:26 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2462181620 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2464796360 Explanation:
The word "energy" is used scientifically to measure something's ability to work. Electricity is a form of energy because it powers our technology and many of our home appliances. When the word "energy" is used in any other context, it is essentially meaningless.

How does Mystical Energy connect to Astrology?
The website shown above mentions the word "energy" numerous times throughout the attached article in regards to the moon. In Astrology, the sun and moon have a deep connection to the zodiac signs, so it is believed by those who practice Astrology that the moon has different abilities throughout the stages of the moon's phases. It also refers to the word "energy" to mean the word emotion. The critical thinking process should be considered when reading about the moon phases and their energy: Is this energy measurable? ]]> 2023-02-01 15:53:04 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2464796360 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2465285960 Explanation:
When two things occur at the same time often enough, one can sometimes be confused with causing the other to occur. It's much like the stereotype that all Canadians like hockey; being Canadian does not directly influence an interest in hockey as a sport, and being interested in hockey does not mean you are Canadian. Yes, they do correlate, as hockey is a popular Canadian sport, but one does not cause the other.

How does Confusion of Causation and Correlation connect to Astrology?
This webpage describes different types of people that believe in Astrology, and how one group believes that the moon and stars have direct control over events that happen on Earth. Although celestial events and earthly events happen simultaneously, there is very little evidence to suggest that celestial bodies have direct influence on human events. When a predicted event does occur, it can be explained by The Law of Large Numbers, which explains that if two random events happen at the same time, they can happen frequently enough to be believed that one causes another despite the fact that those two events are more likely to occur separately than together. ]]> 2023-02-01 22:06:12 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2465285960 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2477478455 Explanation:
If this many celebrities and successful people believe in it, it must be true, right? When advertising companies use stars or actors in lab coats to sell a product, service, or ideology, this is called Appeal to Authority. The goal is to get people to subscribe to this product or ideology by utilizing the appearance of credibility. Consumers are more likely to believe someone successful and familiar, regardless of the advertised person's background.

How does Appeal to Authority connect to Astrology?
Cosmopolitan, a magazine, published the video linked above on their YouTube channel detailing celebrities' responses to being asked about their zodiac signs. They intended to use the faces of Beyonce and the Kardashians and their belief in Astrology to gain more viewers and readers. They claim to believe in Astrology and its effects on their personality and relationships with others around them.

Asking questions and applying critical thinking to these claims can also aid in determining the validity of this video; do any of the celebrities shown have a background in astronomy? If not, where does their belief stem from? Are they gaining anything from endorsing Astrology as an idea or practice?

This is also linked to the pseudoscience watchlist that there is money involved, as a magazine like Cosmopolitan requires funding to keep running.  ]]> 2023-02-11 19:28:31 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2477478455 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2477546021 Explanation:
When we make an emotional connection, we often feel more compelled to believe something because it appeals to our emotions. This allows our judgment to become clouded, making it harder for us to think critically about whatever issues we face. This is mostly because, as people, we look for confirmation bias to feed our thoughts and emotions, making it harder to break the cycle of our beliefs.

How does Emotional Connection connect to Astrology?

Many people who believe in astrology look towards the practice for life guidance, or use it to find a sense of purpose. This was popularized during the 1970s hippie movement when belief in astrology became more prevalent within modern society due to the beginning of the 2,000-year astrological period referred to by astrologers as "The Age of Aquarius". It is still popular within society to read horoscopes or astrological projections on how your week, month, or year will go based on your zodiac sign. These texts are wired to make the reader assign an emotional connection to their horoscope based on the accuracy of the prediction, causing the reader to believe that astrology can influence human events. ]]> 2023-02-11 22:59:17 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2477546021 myabrillinger https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2477563068 I chose to evaluate post #2 about Ancient Wisdom.

Define the problem:
Do the movements of celestial bodies cause worldly events?

Gather information:
Astrology is a practice that was founded and used during the Babylonian Empire. It is an idea that revolves around the movements of the planets in our solar system, as well as the 12 astrological signs known as Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Saggitarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Those who believe in astrology claim that it has the ability to predict events in society, as well as our daily lives.

Evaluate evidence:
Astrology was developed during a time when humanity had very little access to scientific resources, and there was no ability to test and record evidence to support the claim beyond surface-level observation. This means that the scientific method was not used (note, the scientific method as a theory was not proposed until the time of Galileo), and therefore could produce no verifiable results.

Recognize assumptions, emotions, and biases:
Mesopotamians were biased because of the correlations between the stars and their religious practices at the time (ideological support). They assumed that their Gods had control of the stars and planets, believing their movements caused seasonal changes or societal events simply due to the coincidence of them occurring at the same time. There is no further evidence proving that the night sky affects human behavior or natural events.

Synthesize evidence, and identify alternatives:

Solution 1: Celestial bodies do cause worldly events, supported by the observations of Mesopotamian scholars during the Babylonian Empire.

Solution 2: Celestial bodies do not cause worldly events, supported by modern knowledge of Astronomy as well as Galileo's scientific method.

Select the best alternative:
I conclude that the movements of celestial bodies do not cause worldly events.]]> 2023-02-11 23:51:17 UTC https://padlet.com/myabrillinger/naohfwmwcna2uztw/wish/2477563068