Disclaimer: I don’t believe in astrology. However, I always have this discussion with my students when we talk about pseudoscience and superstition (and this is likely an unpopular opinion here), but astrology can’t be entirely dismissed out of hand . Astrology doesn’t have much of a basis in reality, but there is some credibility and research to support the idea that some aspects of your personality can be shaped or impacted by the month in which a person is born, especially in rural/agrarian communities or areas with harsh climates.
It’s not the stars themselves and it’s not like your day-to-day life is affected by the current star sign or “mercury in retrograde,” but think about how formative experiences and your earliest memories can be influenced by the time of year. A child in the Dakotas in the 1800’s that has their first memory as a 2yo in February while the family is on the verge of starvation is going to have a very different experience than a child in the same time and geographical area that is born 6 months later whose first memory is of a harvest festival. Not to mention they are going to have very different nutrition and growth patterns, etc.
It’s purely anecdotal, but I’ve seen this occur to a small extent in my personal life. My oldest was born in January, and he learned to walk in the dead of winter in a snowy environment (so, inside at home), but my middlest was born in April and learned to walk at parks and baseball fields. Does that mean their long-term personality traits are based around that? Not necessarily, but it’s certainly plausible and early scientific research does support there being some correlation between season of birth and personality (Source 1, Source 2)
A child born in winter will have a different personality than one born in summer. Because it also means they celebrate their birthday in summer or winter, which give a totally different vibe. It influences their life about as much as their name.
The part where Astrology fails is when you consider there are twins with opposing personalities.
Oh, astrology fails entirely; I was simply bringing up that the idea of the month of birth having some effect on personality has some merit, and that is also one of the most basic precepts of astrology (even a broken clock, eh?).
But like you said, there are many factors in personality, from genetics to name to birth order, etc. In fact, the very fact that one is a twin is going to influence a twin’s personality.
And I also want to make the point that one should not dismiss pseudoscience or non-scientific cultural practices out of hand, because oftentimes there is some sort of rational basis for since pieces of those beliefs. Not always, but a huge amount of modern medicine is built on the practice of ethnobotany, which is effectively applying the scientific method to traditional medicines from around the world.
and that is also one of the most basic precepts of astrology
But it’s not because astrology signs don’t match the weather. Signs close to each other by month have radically different results. Sagittarius in December and Capricorn in January should have similar results.
Then there’s all of Australia, South America, and Sub Sarahan Africa where astrology should be opposite because the seasons are opposite when you are south of the equator.
Agreed. That’s why I said astrology fails completely. When I said “it’s one of the most basic precepts of astrology” I meant the idea that season of birth can affect personality, no more. I didn’t mean that astrology gets any of the specifics right, for all the reasons you suggest and more.
nah there is definitely reason for both.
Disclaimer: I don’t believe in astrology. However, I always have this discussion with my students when we talk about pseudoscience and superstition (and this is likely an unpopular opinion here), but astrology can’t be entirely dismissed out of hand . Astrology doesn’t have much of a basis in reality, but there is some credibility and research to support the idea that some aspects of your personality can be shaped or impacted by the month in which a person is born, especially in rural/agrarian communities or areas with harsh climates.
It’s not the stars themselves and it’s not like your day-to-day life is affected by the current star sign or “mercury in retrograde,” but think about how formative experiences and your earliest memories can be influenced by the time of year. A child in the Dakotas in the 1800’s that has their first memory as a 2yo in February while the family is on the verge of starvation is going to have a very different experience than a child in the same time and geographical area that is born 6 months later whose first memory is of a harvest festival. Not to mention they are going to have very different nutrition and growth patterns, etc.
It’s purely anecdotal, but I’ve seen this occur to a small extent in my personal life. My oldest was born in January, and he learned to walk in the dead of winter in a snowy environment (so, inside at home), but my middlest was born in April and learned to walk at parks and baseball fields. Does that mean their long-term personality traits are based around that? Not necessarily, but it’s certainly plausible and early scientific research does support there being some correlation between season of birth and personality (Source 1, Source 2)
What you mean is.
A child born in winter will have a different personality than one born in summer. Because it also means they celebrate their birthday in summer or winter, which give a totally different vibe. It influences their life about as much as their name.
The part where Astrology fails is when you consider there are twins with opposing personalities.
Oh, astrology fails entirely; I was simply bringing up that the idea of the month of birth having some effect on personality has some merit, and that is also one of the most basic precepts of astrology (even a broken clock, eh?).
But like you said, there are many factors in personality, from genetics to name to birth order, etc. In fact, the very fact that one is a twin is going to influence a twin’s personality.
And I also want to make the point that one should not dismiss pseudoscience or non-scientific cultural practices out of hand, because oftentimes there is some sort of rational basis for since pieces of those beliefs. Not always, but a huge amount of modern medicine is built on the practice of ethnobotany, which is effectively applying the scientific method to traditional medicines from around the world.
But it’s not because astrology signs don’t match the weather. Signs close to each other by month have radically different results. Sagittarius in December and Capricorn in January should have similar results.
Then there’s all of Australia, South America, and Sub Sarahan Africa where astrology should be opposite because the seasons are opposite when you are south of the equator.
Agreed. That’s why I said astrology fails completely. When I said “it’s one of the most basic precepts of astrology” I meant the idea that season of birth can affect personality, no more. I didn’t mean that astrology gets any of the specifics right, for all the reasons you suggest and more.