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Increased interest in astrology has been noted before in societies with declining traditional religious belief and greater feelings of uncertainty. Whereas a Ch
by lo_zamoyski 3y ago
Increased interest in astrology has been noted before in societies with declining traditional religious belief and greater feelings of uncertainty. Whereas a Christian would leave his concerns about things out of his control with God, and a stoic might simply accept his powerlessness, the anxious remainder look for other ways of trying to cope. Astrology has a track record of filling this void with its fatalism, and like all occult practices, it does so by luring people with irrational promises of foreknowledge, control, and power.
- zanellato19 3y agoThat's interesting, do you have any reading material on that?
- ecshafer 3y agoJung wrote extensively on the idea that people flock to new age ideas when traditional religion declines.
- jncfhnb 3y agoSecond part seems dubious. Seems likely that a large portion of people are simply spiritual and go with whatever is socially popular in their circle regardless of circumstance.
- woodruffw 3y ago“People like games that offer low-stakes predictions about their personality” has both more explanatory power and is much more parsimonious than the explanation you’ve presented. Unless we’re prepared to consider consuming Cosmopolitan an “occult practice” as well, of course.
- andrewflnr 3y ago"People like games that xyz" is a conclusion, not an explanation. Why do people like them?
- JumpCrisscross 3y agoThe replacing traditional religion bit makes sense, since they’re both approximately the same. The increasing uncertainty is unfounded, though I suppose even modern traditional religions took hold when their parent empires were falling.
- amiga386 3y ago"When men stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing; they believe in anything." (attributed to G. K. Chesterton)