Metal Rats and Other Superstitions.

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(Edited)

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2020 is the Year of the Rat, and the cycle of signs also has a cycle of elements and yin/yang associations. Or least, that is what the internet says. Does it really mean anything? I doubt it.

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Under traditional western astrology, I was born under one sign, but astronomically, the precession of the equinoxes means I am another according to the actual constellations. Thanks to confirmation bias and the shotgun approach of trait descriptions, either one somewhat describes me. As such, I am skeptical of the merits of western astrology, too.

I doubt calendars and constellations have the influence and power so many people think. Astrology ceased to have any real connection to scientific astronomy long ago, but people want to believe someone or something is in charge and in control.

This probably explains the interest people take in politics, too. People want to seek something in the created universe, or worse yet, something created by demonstrably corrupt people, as the foundation for their faith and hope. That is unwise. Truth is not found in stars or states.



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For me, this opens up the can of worms loosely called "non-causal correlations." Because someone believes something holds true, they scan their environment for "evidence" (a form of "confirmation bias"), then because a larger part of their attention seeks this evidence, the likelihood of them "proving themselves right" (in a real and tangible way) increases... thereby offering "evidence" that there's something to it.

It's like pennies in a parking lot. Someone says"I always find pennies in parking lots," and they really and measurably DO... because they are always looking for pennies in parking lots.

Life — and the human psyche — can be a strange place, sometimes!

=^..^=

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(Edited)

Indeed. Another dubous correlation is the claim that politicians are responsible for economic success. Of course, someone else is always to blame when there is a crash, but good news is always claimed as a credit to our wise and courageous leaders. Just because they were in office, good news is a testament to them!

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