Explaining Astrology to Non-Astrologers

Episode 288 features a discussion where an astrologer tries to explain what astrology is about to two people who are curious about the subject but somewhat skeptical.

Last week Ian and Shaye from the comedy podcast Camp ReEducation reached out to me to see if I would be on their show, where they do interviews with people from different fields and try to familiarize themselves with new topics and reexamine their preconceptions.

I agreed to do it as long as I could also release the recording as an episode of my podcast, and it ended up being a good discussion about trying to figure out how to explain astrology to a couple of non-astrologers who are skeptical about the subject but willing to listen and ask questions.

Figuring out how to communicate what astrologers do to the general public has always been one of my interests, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try doing that with them, and I think it ended up being a great discussion.

You can find out more info about Ian and Shaye and their podcast at:

https://campreeducation.com

Check out The Astrology Podcast website for the audio version:

https://theastrologypodcast.com/2021/...

Please be sure to like and subscribe!

#TheAstrologyPodcast

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro
00:05:22 Ian and Shaye's podcast immersion process
00:08:39 The astrology page on Wikipedia
00:13:30 Astrology on the outskirts of science and religion
00:15:30 Astrology, Christianity, and free-will
00:19:28 Definition of astrology
00:20:59 The role astrology plays in Chris' life
00:25:50 Does astrology predict the future?
00:28:34 Where did the meaning of the planets come from?
00:33:03 What is the mechanism underlying astrology?
00:35:26 How much consensus is there in astrology?
00:37:35 The different traditions of astrology
00:41:24 How is astrology not simply confirmation bias?
00:45:11 Is astrology overly-prescriptive?
00:56:04 Parallels between psychology and astrology
01:00:38 Are tarot, palmistry, and psychics compatible with astrology?
01:06:12 How can astrology help people?
01:11:06 Does astrology still work if you don't believe in it?
01:13:20 Does astrology provide moral guidance?
01:16:07 Why are women more interested in astrology than men?
01:23:10 Should astrology play a role in politics?
01:31:40 Can astrology be used for evil?
01:36:20 Advice to skeptics
01:45:08 Does Chris believe astrology is true?
01:51:37 What it is like being an astrologer marginalised by society
01:55:20 Why does science reject astrology?
02:12:11 Ian's natal chart
02:18:41 Patrons and sponsors