[extropy-chat] it had to happen...

[Samantha Atkins]

On Jul 17, 2006, at 10:50 AM, Anne-Marie Taylor wrote:

> Since you brought it up:)
> This is way out there, I know.  But what the heck, i'm known
> now to do and say strange things:)
>
> I was wondering if astrology could help in building AI.
> Don't get me wrong, I was looking at it from the point of view
> of catagorizing certain charactestics based on the time frame
> of when your born.

That is not just "strange".  It borders on willfully stupid.   
Astrology has been tested utterly flunked the test over and over again.

>
> I am a strong believer in astrology based on the idea that people
> born at a certain times have similar characterics (Again, from a point
> of view of the Blue Man Theory).
> This can't be proven, I know, it's just my experiences and
> observations that have led me to be curious.
>

It has been proven bogus.

>
> Could Astrology just be a way for humans to learn about
> characterics?
>

If you wanted to learn characteristics then you would study human  
beings, psychology, evolutionary psychology and so on.  You wouldn't  
try to draw some bogus correlation against the position of certain  
groups of stars as seen from earth.   Why would you think that clumps  
of similar characteristics get handed out based on your birth  
location and time?


>
> It would seem ludicrious to believe that human characterics are
> unique per individual therefore there must be a way compute it.
> How can something that's been around that long have no meaning
> or reason?

You can have plenty of "meaning or reason" without making up bizarre  
theories like astrology or taking up such nonsense.   Just because  
something has been around for a long time doesn't mean it has  
"meaning or reason".  There are explanations for much of human nature  
and human characteristics though.

- samantha