True Skepticism

Tender Critique

TRUE SKEPTICISM

Some ultra-rationalists adamantly believe it’s delusional to converse with angels, spiritual beings, and departed ancestors. They question the acumen of those of us who consult with deities and consort with fairies. They dismiss the possibility that animals have potent intelligences that we humans can learn from.

Some doubters even claim that our nightly dreams mean nothing, but rather are nothing more than hallucinations produced as the brain flushes out metabolic wastes.

According to these extremists, there’s no such thing as another world that’s imperceptible to the senses. Anyone who believes in such nonsense is incapable of perceiving the truth about the nature of reality. With supreme hubris, they thereby repudiate the convictions of most Indigenous people who have ever lived.

Those who regard astrology as unmitigated gibberish are usually members of the scoffers club. To them, the subject I specialize in is a blight on culture. It has less than zero value. 

A term some of these fanatics use to describe themselves is “skeptic.”  

But I have found that many of those who pride themselves on being skeptics are in fact pseudo-skeptics. They are often fundamentalists, as well. Not fundamentalists in the religious sense, of course, but in the sense of believing their way of thinking is absolutely, dogmatically correct, and everyone else who doesn’t think like them is wrong and stupid. 

What is the difference between authentic skepticism and pseudo-skepticism? Here are my thoughts. 

True skepticism does not carry an undertone of anger, ridicule, derision, and pompous conceit. It is even-tempered, clear-minded, and full of equanimity, satisfied with simply showing what is illogical or mistaken in the perspective it critiques.  

A true skeptic does not use emotionally charged language in an effort to portray the person whose belief or position she is critiquing as an ignorant fool. 

A true skeptic has no attachment to proving that she is smarter than and superior to the person whose argument she is questioning. Rather, she is content to have her argument win on the strength of its adept and elegant reasoning. 

A true skeptic is willing to consider the possibility that there may be merit, however small, in the position of the person she is critiquing. She is not afraid that acknowledging this merit will undermine the truth she purports to possess. 

A true skeptic is not consumed with the arrogant certainty that she is always right. In other words, she resists the temptation to be a fundamentalist. 

A true skeptic has a respect for the fact that some questions don’t have definitive, incontrovertible answers. She recognizes how much about the world is mysterious. 

A true skeptic is as likely to be a non-male gender. (Ninety-five percent of the pseudo-skeptics are men.) 

A true skeptic shows humility, in the spirit that science popularizer Carl Sagan demonstrated when he said this:  

An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence.  

Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do now to be sure that no God exists.  

To be certain of the existence of God and to be certain of the nonexistence of God seem to me to be the confident extremes in a subject so riddled with doubt and uncertainty as to inspire very little confidence indeed.  

A wide range of intermediate positions seems admissible.  

Considering the enormous emotional energies with which the subject is invested, a questing, courageous, and open mind is, I think, the essential tool for narrowing the range of our collective ignorance on the subject of the existence of God. 

“The Creation of God” — Art by Harmonia Rosales

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THE 80-PERCENT RULE

Readers of my horoscope column are sometimes surprised when I testify I believe in astrology about 80 percent. “You’re a quack?!” they cry.  

Not at all, I explain. I have been an ardent student for my entire adult life. About the time my over­educated young brain was on the verge of desertification, unruly wisdom showed up in the guise of astrology, lyricizing my soul just in time. 

“But what about the other 20 percent?” they press on. “Are you saying your horoscopes are only partially true?” 

I assure them that my doubt proves my love. By cultivating a tender, cheerful skepticism, I inoculate myself against the virus of fanaticism. This ensures that astrology will be a supple tool in my hands, an adaptable art form, and not a rigid, explain-it-all dogma that over-literalizes and distorts the mysteries it seeks to illuminate. 

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During the question-and-answer segment of one of my performances, an audience member got hostile. “Why do you diss science so much?” he complained. 

My accuser had not read much of my work. Otherwise, he’d have gathered abundant clues that belied his theory. In my horoscopes, for instance, I often quote reverently from peer-reviewed scientific journals including Nature and Scientific American and Lancet. And I regularly extol the virtues of the scientific method. “Some of my best friends are scientists,” I teased the heckler. 

The fact is that I critique science no more than I do all the systems I respect and use. I believe in science about 80 percent—the same as I do in astrology, psychology, feminism, Qabalah, paganism, progressive political philosophy, and 23 others. 

I do think science needs extra doses of affectionate critique from people who love it, like me. As one of the dominant ideologies of our age, it has a magisterial reputation comparable to the infallibility accorded to the medieval Church. Some of its devotees promote it as the ultimate arbiter of truth, as an approach to gathering and evaluating information that makes all others unnecessary and irrelevant. 

Here’s another problem: Though science is an elegant method of understanding the world, not all its practitioners live up to its lofty standards. The field features many men motivated as much by careerism and egotism as by a rigorous quest for excellence. Another worrisome factor is that misogyny pervades every facet of scientific research. 

Careerism, egotism, and misogyny are common features in most spheres, of course. But it’s a special problem for a field that the intellectual elite touts as the premier purveyor of truth. 

There’s a further complication: Like the rest of us, scientists may harbor irrational biases and emotional fixations. They purport to do just the opposite, of course. But in fact, they may simply hide their unconscious motivations better, aided by the way the scientific establishment relentlessly promotes the myth that its practitioners are in pure service to objective knowledge.  

This discrepancy between the cover story and the actual state of things is, again, a universal tendency, not confined to science. But it’s especially unfortunate in a discipline that presents itself as the embodiment of dispassionate investigation. 

There are some scientists who, upon reading my words here, might discharge a blast of non-scientific derision in my direction. Like true believers everywhere, they can’t accept what they regard as half-hearted converts. If I won’t buy their whole package, then I must be a superstitious, fuzzy-brained goofball. 

To which I’d respond: I love the scientific approach to understanding the world. I aspire to appraise everything I experience with the relaxed yet eager curiosity and the skeptical yet open-minded lucidity characteristic of a true scientist.  

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WHY DO I CARE?

A fellow astrologer asked me why I care about what science thinks about astrology. Here’s what I said:  

Because I love science and its methodology and because a lot of people who pay attention to what I write also love science and its methodology.  

I want to talk to these smart people about the excesses and distortions of science, in the hope that this will help in a small way to shore up the integrity of science and deepen its capacity to welcome other modes of intelligence as valid. 

In the US, science is under threat from theocratic, paranoid, QAnon, and delusional views of the world. We need science to be as strong and vital as possible in the face of that danger. 

The scientific method is a fantastic way of learning about the world, and I use it daily. But it’s not the only valid way to learn about the world. To dismiss other ways of learning about the world as pseudoscientific is reductionist and fundamentalist. And that damages the credibility of science. 

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YOU MUST EARN YOUR RIGHT TO CRITICIZE AND DEBUNK

Famous scientists like Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson have tried to debunk astrology without having studied anything more than the most superficial expressions of astrology.  

Their efforts are akin to, say, a music critic who summarily belittles all music ever created based on his brief exposure to homeless street musicians he has heard playing in Walmart parking lots. 

Let’s hope that Tyson and Nye and their fellow skeptical soldiers do a better job if they ever turn their attention to debunking related areas of human inquiry. They might consider, for example, actually reading the books of Carl Jung before debunking Jungian psychology.  

Let’s hope they will research lucid dream studies before ridiculing them, and that they will gaze at a few of Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings before they inevitably trash his art as “unscientific.”  

The mythological thought of Joseph Campbell would be a fair target for their debunking crusade—as long as they first familiarized themselves with Campbell’s books. 

Here’s a template for how they might proceed—a satirical debunking of the poetry of John Keats, as carried out by an anonymous critic who calls her blog “The Invisible Left Hand of Jesus”: 

"'Ode on a Grecian Urn,' a poem by John Keats, contains many egregious lies, distortions, and inaccuracies. Indeed, it is so replete with statements that are blatantly scientifically inaccurate that its overall veracity is extremely questionable.

"Note, for instance, the first two lines, 'Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time.' The term 'unravished' is immediately worrisome. One certainly hopes that the urn has not been the victim of forcible sexual intercourse. Taking the effort to deny something so unlikely indicates that such things are, to Keats, within the realm of possibility.

"Furthermore, 'quietness' is an abstraction related to the relative absence of sound in a place—that is, compression waves traveling through a medium. As a sound wave cannot be married, and therefore cannot logically be called a "bride", it is that much more the case that its absence will never experience matrimony . . ."

The mini-essay above appears at https://tinyurl.com/2p8vhyww

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Art by KyrillosVI

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Buy my books at Bookshop.org: https://tinyurl.com/BookShopBrezsny

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For the Week of September 5

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In all of world history, which author has sold the most books? The answer is Agatha Christie, born under the sign of Virgo. Readers have bought over 2 billion copies of her 70-plus books. I present her as a worthy role model for you during the next nine months. In my astrological opinion, this will be your time to shine, to excel, to reach new heights of accomplishment. Along with Christie, I invite you to draw encouragement and inspiration from four other Virgo writers who have flourished: 1. Stephen King, 400 million in sales from 77 books. 2. Kyotaro Nishimura, 200 million in sales from over 400 books. 3. Leo Tolstoy, 413 million from 48 books. 4. Paul Coelho, 350 million from 28 books.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Centuries before the story of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, there was a Greek myth with similar themes. It featured Persephone, a divine person who descended into the realm of the dead but ultimately returned in a transfigured form. The ancient Festival of Eleusis, observed every September, honored Persephone's down-going and redemption—as well as the cyclical flow of decay and renewal in every human life. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to observe your own version of a Festival of Eleusis by taking an inventory: What is disintegrating and decomposing in your own world? What is ripe for regeneration and rejuvenation? What fun action can you do that resembles a resurrection?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The coming weeks will be an excellent time to take inventory of your community and your network of connections. Here are questions to ask yourself as you evaluate whether you already have exactly what you need or else may need to make adjustments. 1. Are you linked with an array of people who stimulate and support you? 2. Can you draw freely on influences that further your goals and help you feel at home in the world? 3. Do you bestow favors on those you would like to receive favors from? 4. Do you belong to groups or institutions that share your ideals and give you power you can’t access alone?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Progress was all right. Only it went on too long.” Sagittarian humorist James Thurber said that, and now I’m conveying it to you. Why? Well, I am very happy about the progress you’ve been making recently—the blooming and expanding and learning you have been enjoying. But I’m guessing you would now benefit from a period of refining what you have gained. Rather than even more progress, I feel you need to consolidate and integrate the progress you have so robustly earned.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The people of Northern Ireland have over 70 colorful slang terms for being drunk. These include splootered, stonkied, squiffy, cabbaged, stinkered, ballbagged, wingdinged, bluttered, and wanked. I am begging you, Capricorn, to refrain from those states for at least two weeks. According to my reading of the omens, it's important for you to avoid the thrills and ills of alcohol. I am completely in favor of you pursuing natural highs, however. I would love you to get your mind blown and your heart opened through epiphanies and raptures that take you to the frontiers of consciousness.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Beginning 11,000 years ago, humans began to breed the fig. It's the world’s oldest cultivated food, preceding even wheat, barley, and legumes. Many scholars think that the fig, not the apple, was the forbidden fruit that God warned Adam and Eve not to munch in the famous Biblical passage. These days, though, figs rarely make the list of the fruits people love most. Their taste is regarded by some as weird, even cloying. But for our purposes, I will favorably quote the serpent in the Garden of Eden: "When you eat the fig, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God." This is my elaborate way of telling you that now may be an excellent time to sample a forbidden fruit. Also: A serpent may have wise counsel for you.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The coming weeks would be an excellent time to file lawsuits against everyone who has ever wronged you, hurt you, ignored you, misunderstood you, tried to change you into something you're not, and failed to give you what you deserve. I recommend you sue each of them for $10 million. The astrological omens suggest you now have the power to finally get compensated for the stupidity and malice you have had to endure. JUST KIDDING! I lied. The truth is, now is a great time to feel intense gratitude for everyone who has supported you, encouraged you, and appreciated you for who you really are. I also suggest you communicate your thanks to as many of your personal helpers and heroes as you can.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 2015, a large earthquake struck Nepal, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale. It was so powerful, it shrunk Mt. Everest. I mention this, Aries, because I suspect you will generate good fortune in the coming months whenever you try to shrink metaphorical mountains. Luckily, you won’t need to resort to anything as forceful and ferocious as a massive earthquake. In fact, I think your best efforts will be persistent, incremental, and gradual. If you haven’t gotten started yet, do so now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): We don’t know the astrological sign of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, who ruled from 51 to 30 BCE. But might she have been a Taurus? What other tribe of the zodiac would indulge in the extravagance of bathing in donkey milk? Her staff kept a herd of 700 donkeys for this regimen. Before you dismiss the habit as weird, please understand that it wasn’t uncommon in ancient times. Why? Modern science has shown that donkey milk has anti-aging, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory qualities. And as astrologers know, many of you Tauruses are drawn to luxurious and healing influences that also enhance beauty. I recommend you cultivate such influences with extra verve in the coming days.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In two trillion galaxies stretched out across 93 billion light years, new stars are constantly being born. Their birth process happens in stellar nurseries, where dense clouds of gas coalesce into giant spheres of light and heat powered by the process of nuclear fusion. If you don’t mind me engaging in a bit of hyperbole, I believe that you Geminis are now immersed in a small-scale, metaphorical version of a stellar nursery. I have high hopes for the magnificence you will beget in the coming months.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The planet Mars usually stays in your sign for less than two months every two years. But the pattern will be different in the coming months. Mars will abide in Cancer from September 5 to November 4 and then again from January 27 till April 19 in 2025. The last time the red planet made such an extended visit was in 2007 and 2008, and before that in 1992 and 1993. So what does it mean? In the least desirable scenario, you will wander aimlessly, distracted by trivial battles and unable to decide which dreams to pursue. In the best scenario, you will be blessed with a sustained, fiery devotion to your best and most beautiful ambitions.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Famous rock musicians have on occasion spiced up their live shows by destroying their instruments on stage. Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana smashed many guitars. So did Jimi Hendrix, who even set his guitars on fire. I can admire the symbolic statement of not being overly attached to objects one loves. But I don't recommend that approach to you in the coming weeks. On the contrary, I believe this is a time for you to express extra care for the tools, machines, and apparatus that give you so much. Polish them up, get repairs done, show them you love them. And if you need new gizmos and gear to enhance your self-expression, get them in the near future.