Literature Review
In the beginning the, the ancient –medieval intellectual system of the Aristotle provided a concrete background for the development of the stable and harmonious natural phenomenon which was considered to remain unchangeable (Mozaffari,359-368). Even more ancient than this, was the idea that the celestial phenomenon place direct effects on the happenings on the earth. This very perspective is in itself reflective of the egocentric perspective of the human mind which seems to be one of the major characteristic of the activities of the human mind and display itself in the day to day activities ( Richardson, p.309-311). One of the simple examples is the emergence of the notion from the human egocentric mind that heavens directly influenced the earth.
The major academic discipline and schools of thought which discussed the role of egocentric perspective in influencing the mind of human beings after philosophy, was psychology. It has been discussed in detail by Vygotsky and Piaget in their theories about development (Junefelt). They were of the view that egocentric perspective exists in human being from birth. As the human child starts to observe and interact with world he starts thinking egocentrically. Similarly, the human beings hold egocentric view about astrology. Human beings have an innate ability to value the world from egocentric perspective. They want to know about themselves and their race, about their past and future.
With the passage of time, this notion evolved and showed itself in the doctrines of astrology. Similarly, the psychological deliberations that center on the relationship between human mind and physical happenings in the world may be taken up to provide an explanation for the steady survival of the astrological beliefs. In the same way, they could also be used to provide an explanation of the happenings in the social context.
There are two ancient historical astronomical events that strongly influenced and brought changes in the course of history. The astrological interpretations of these celestial phenomenon made major contributions towards the path of history. These events were; Comet 1402 D1 and during the turn of 14th century AD, the unfavorable synchronization of Mars and Saturn. These two celestial happenings had considerable and strong political and social implications. The celestial happening of Comet 1402 D1 resulted in the war in the Middle East during the 15th century and placed significant negative effects on the inception of Ottoman Kingdom. The synchronization of Mars and Saturn resulted in the spread of epidemics due to the decrease in the amount of water in the great rivers of Middle East. This calamity had been attributed to the conjunction of Mars and Saturn by almost all the historians.
In the past, astrological beliefs held marked influence on the different disciplines such as medicine, agriculture, judiciary, politics, on different religions etc. (Kassell & Ralley,p.67-69). The major principles of different disciplines were explained and associated with the movements of the planets and other celestial bodies. The egocentric perspective seems to dominate in this regard as well.
There have always been different viewpoints regarding the reliability and scientific value of astrology. Some people hold to the astrological dogmas while others deny them. They reject the astrological beliefs on the basis that they are unscientific and untestable. But with the advancement in research and technology, there seems to be a way to test the validity and reliability of such astrological dogmas.
Although it’s true that it’s very difficult to find any cause-effect relationship between celestial happenings and specific historical, political and social events but no one can deny that such strong beliefs have significant psychological effects on the mind of human beings. This is why it can be stated that astrology influenced and modified the terrestrial happenings and the course of history.
References
Hunefelt, Karen. “ Rethinking Egocentric Speech: towards a new hypothesis”. Nove Science Publishers. 2007.
Kassell and Ralley .‘Stars, spirits, signs: towards a history of astrology 1100–1800'; pp.67–69. 2010.
Richardson, M. J., K. L. Marsh, and R. C. Schmidt . “Challenging the egocentric view of coordinated perceiving, acting, and knowing”. In The mind in context, 307–333. New York and London: Guilford Press. 2010.
Mozaffari, S. Mohammad. "The Effect Of Astrological Opinions On Society: A Preliminary View." TRAMES: A Journal Of The Humanities & Social Sciences 16.4 (2012): 359-368. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
