WHERE CARL SAGAN FAILED TO BE A SCIENTIST

On Fri, 20 Apr 2001,
www.mantra.com/jyotish (Dr. Jai Maharaj) wrote:

Where Carl Sagan failed to be a scientist

By Jai Maharaj

The late Carl Sagan was seen as one of the world's most
eloquent voices for science and reason, and deservedly
so. I will always be his fan, thanks to his books and
television series. Many of his theories, observations
and conclusions in cosmology are consistent with those of
our ancient Vedic sage-scientists.

Dr. Sagan wrote, "As far as I know, India is the only
ancient religious tradition on the Earth which talks
about the right time scale. In the West, people have the
sense that what is natural is for the universe to be a
few thousand years old, and that it is billions of years
is mind-reeling, and no one can understand it. The Hindu
concept is very clear. Here is a great world culture
which has always talked about billions of years."

Sagan set a basic example for his audience of millions by
doing what a scientist is supposed to do: reach a
conclusion about a topic after studying it thoroughly.
But there is at least one exception where he published
conclusions without studying a science. The science of
astrology attracted his attention enough for him to
criticize it based on preconceived notions, but he never
seems to have found the motivation to study it. The
following excerpt is from "The Demon-Haunted World" with
my comments:

"Many valid criticism of astrology can be formulated in a
few sentences: for example its acceptance of precession
of the equinoxes in announcing an 'Age of Aquarius' and
its rejection of precession of equinoxes in casting
horoscopes [1]; its neglect of atmospheric refraction
[2]; its list of supposedly significant celestial objects
that is mainly limited to naked eye objects known to
Ptolemy in the second century, and that ignores an
enormous variety of new astronomical objects discovered
since (where is the astrology of near-Earth asteroids?)
[3]; inconsistent requirements for detailed information
on the time as compared to the latitude and longitude of
birth [4]; the failure of astrology to pass the
identical-twin test [5]; the major differences in
horoscopes cast from the same birth information by
different astrologers [6]; and the absence of
demonstrated correlation between horoscopes and such
psychological tests as the Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory." [7] ("The Demon-Haunted World:
Science as a Candle in the Dark," Carl Sagan, page 303.)

My comments:

[1] Jyotish, Vedic, or Hindu astrology does take the
precession of the equinoxes into account -- it always
has. We are not in the "Age of Aquarius" by Jyotish
principles.

[2] Refraction is accounted for in Vedic astrology
calculations.

[3] Positions of both seen and not-seen, or subtle,
bodies in the sky are calculated and examined in Vedic
astrology. Asteroids are also taken into account.

[4] The requirements for the birth data of a person,
other entity or event for the time and geographical
coordinates are consistent in Vedic astrology.

[5] Even apparently-identical twins can be conceived at
different moments; Vedic astrology yields unique charts
offering significantly varying interpretation for the
smallest time differences.

[6] The interpretation of the same charts by different
astrologers is a function of their education, skill and
experience as in almost any science. How many scientists
are divided just on the topic of global warming?

[7] Did Sagan himself not say that the "absence of
evidence is not evidence of absence"? So the absence of
a "demonstrated correlation" is not proof of its absence.
Has any scientist, including Dr. Sagan, attempted to
correlate Vedic astrology interpretation and MMPI tests?

Perhaps Carl Sagan had planned to study scientific
astrology at some point and doubted his own criticism of
it, for in 1975 he did refuse to sign an "Objections to
Astrology" statement authored by Harvard astronomer Bart
Bok and science writer Lawrence Jerome, and endorsed by
nearly 200 scientists from the National Academy of
Sciences, U.S., including 19 Nobel Prize winners.

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jyotish
Om Shanti

"A king, though endowed with little prowess, starting on
an expedition at the proper time, in view of the good
positions of the planets, achieves greatness that is
eulogized in the scriptures." - Brhat Samhita, 104.60.

Copyright (C) 2001 Jai Maharaj. All Rights Reserved.

Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the
educational purposes of research and open discussion.


[ Subject: WHERE CARL SAGAN FAILED TO BE A SCIENTIST
[ Date: 2001-11-24
[
[ Jai, actually, astrology was and still the first
[ science.
[ And since causation has now been proven - Becker's
[ Cross Currents details the results of a lot of the
[ research involved -it won't be long before the
[ credentialed community will have to accept the truth of
[ the matter.
[
[ Regards, Pete
[
[ Pete Stapleton

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

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The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.

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