TheOtherDave comments on Global warming is a better test of irrationality that theism - Less Wrong

-2 Post author: Stuart_Armstrong 16 March 2012 05:10PM

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Comment author: TheOtherDave 16 March 2012 10:36:17PM 9 points [-]

It would amuse me if there was a sizable population that thought astrology was scientific and rejected it on that basis because they don't trust science.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 16 March 2012 11:55:46PM 5 points [-]

This is actually similar to the medieval Catholic church's position on astrology, at least if you understand "scientific" to mean "what passed for scientific during the middle ages".

Comment author: [deleted] 17 March 2012 12:12:32PM 4 points [-]

This reminds me of an old priest who pointed out that people who don't believe in God tend to believe in astrology and other superstitions, and said that was because “people have to believe in something or another”. However weird that might look now, I still think that among the demographics he was familiar with (people growing up in a smallish town in Italy in the early 20th century) his observation (about the correlation, not about its cause) was likely not wrong.

Comment author: atorm 18 March 2012 03:28:39AM -1 points [-]

I wonder if it ever crossed his mind that "What I believe is equivalent to astrology and other superstitions." Did he just think he was lucky to have slotted the truth into his belief-hole?

Comment author: Jayson_Virissimo 17 March 2012 12:48:29AM *  2 points [-]

TheOtherDave:

It would amuse me if there was a sizable population that thought astrology was scientific and rejected it on that basis because they don't trust science.

Eugine_Nier:

This is actually similar to the medieval Catholic church's position on astrology, at least if you understand "scientific" to mean "what passed for scientific during the middle ages".

What evidence are you aware of that the Church condemned those particular propositions for being "science" (natural philosophy), rather than for being "errors" (falsehoods)?

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 17 March 2012 01:31:23AM 3 points [-]

What evidence are you aware of that the Church condemned those particular propositions for being "science" (natural philosophy), rather than for being "errors" (falsehoods)?

My point was that the church considered the evidence for the propositions suspect since it was merely "science" (natural philosophy).

Comment author: Jayson_Virissimo 17 March 2012 03:30:15AM 2 points [-]

My point was that the church considered the evidence for the propositions suspect since it was merely "science" (natural philosophy).

I'm pretty sure I understood your point. I was asking for some reasons to think your point is true.