Jacques Halbronn La vie astrologique. Juin 1973 Le jour où il devint Vice Président du Centre International d'astrologie. Le cinquantenaire

Jacques halbronn La vie astrologique. Juin 1973 Le jour où il devint Vice président du Centre International d'astrologie. Un cinquantenaire. Selon notre astrologie EXOLS,nous étions passés depuis peu en phase solsticiale et cette phase génére quelques surprises et c'est ce qu'écrivait André Barbault à l'époque.Il voulut remédier à cet incident en fomentant une sorte de coup d'état qui nous fera perdre ce poste que lui même avait occupé jusqu'en 1968. Mais nous restions en poste comme responsable de la revue Trigone et jouerions un rôle important dans l'animation du congrès international qui se tiendra en septembre 1974, à notre instigation en accord avec l'ISAR (International Society for astrological Research, présidée par Julienne Sturm (née Mullette, en Australie). Un accord sera trouvé entre les diverses parties, car nous avions d'abord obtenu la Salle Adyar de la Sociéte de Théosophie (Square Rapp) où nous suivions notamment l'enseignement de Michel Bustros, en Astrologie indienne, avant de passer à l'Hotel Méridien de la porte Maillot. La phase solsticiale est une belle occasion pour les outsiders et Barbault, né en 1921, va se trouver en position compliquée face à plusieurs jeunes loups comme Patrice Louaisel et Yves Lenoble que nous avions réunis dans le cadre de "Journées Internationales Astrologiques de Paris" (JIAPS)En juin 1975 nous tinmes un nouveau Congrès au FIAP (Foyer International d'Accueil de Paris) à l'occasion des attaques contre l'astrologie parues dans la revue The Humanist en septembre . sous le titre Objectioins à l'encontre de l'Astrologie par 186 scientifiques de renom dont 18 prix Nobel. Une motion fut rédigée lors de notre Congrès et parut dans le Guide de la Vie Astrologique (Ed Trédaniel 1985) non sans avoir largement circulé et été contresignée. Tel fut le lancement de notre Mouvement Astrologique Universitaire ( MAU) A l'aune de ce qui se passe actuellement en Israel, sous une configuration semblable, en phase équinoxiale, nous serions tentés de comparer la perplexité qui dut envahier l'esprit de Barbault au commandement de l'armée israélienne, surprise et submergée par les attaques du Hamas. Lui qui croyait s'être débarrassée de nous en nous evinçant du poste obtenu l'année précédente, avait en fait provoqué une dynamique bien plus dangereuse que ne l'aurait été notre maintien à la Vice Présidence du CIA, passant de Charybde en Scylla! En bref, notre carrière en milieu astrologique débuta donc, il y a 50 ans dans de telles circonstances assez troubles où Barbault joua à l'apprenti sorcier en voulant reprendre le controle, comme il l'écrivait à André Boudineau, de cette Association qui l'avait remercié en 1968 en raison de ses acquaintances avec la société Astroflash.(cf https://www.gettyimages.be/detail/nieuwsfoto%27s/astroflash-paris-5-novembre-1968-sous-les-arcades-des-nieuwsfotos/160701984?language=frà Par ailleurs, Barbault devra subir, en cette même phase solsticiale, l'affront de nous voir publier début 1976 des "Clefs pour l'Astrologie" Ed Seghers dont il avait annoncé la publication sous son nom dans ses derniers ouvrages (Collection Zodiaque Ed Seuil et le Pronostic Expérimental en Astrologie, Payot 1973) ANNEXE (en anglais) Objections to Astrology A Statement by 186 Leading Scientists (The following statement first appeared in The Humanist of September/October 1975.)Scientists in a variety of fields have become concerned about the increased acceptance of astrology in many parts of the world. We, the undersigned - astronomers, astrophysicists, and scientists in other fields - wish to caution the public against the unquestioning acceptance of the predictions and advice given privately and publicly by astrologers. Those who wish to believe in astrology should realize that there is no scientific foundation for its tenets.In ancient times people believed in the predictions and advice of astrologers because astrology was part and parcel of their magical world view. They looked upon celestial objects as abodes or omens of the gods and, thus, intimately connected with events here on earth; they had no concept of the vast distances from the earth to the planets and stars. Now that these distances can and have been calculated, we can see how infinitesimally small are the gravitational and other effects produced by the distant planets and the far more distant stars. It is simply a mistake to imagine that the forces exerted by stars and planets at the moment of birth can in any way shape our futures. Neither is it true that the position of distant heavenly bodies make certain days or periods more favorable to particular kinds of action, or that the sign under which one was born determines one's compatibility or incompatibility with other people.Why do people believe in astrology? In these uncertain times many long for the comfort of having guidance in making decisions. They would like to believe in a destiny predetermined by astral forces beyond their control. However, we must all face the world, and we must realize that our futures lie in ourselves, and not in the stars.One would imagine, in this day of widespread enlightenment and education, that it would be unnecessary to debunk beliefs based on magic and superstition. Yet, acceptance of astrology pervades modern society. We are especially disturbed by the continued uncritical dissemination of astrological charts, forecasts, and horoscopes by the media and by otherwise reputable newspapers, magazines, and book publishers. This can only contribute to the growth of irrationalism and obscurantism. We believe that the time has come to challenge directly, and forcefully, the pretentious claims of astrological charlatans.It should be apparent that those individuals who continue to have faith in astrology do so in spite of the fact that there is no verified scientific basis for their beliefs, and indeed that there is strong evidence to the contrary. Sponsoring Committee (Affiliations, as of 1975, given for identification only.) Bart J. Bok, emeritus Professor of Astronomy University of Arizona Lawrence E. Jerome Science Writer Santa Clara, California Paul Kurtz Professor of Philosophy SUNY at Buffalo Signed by 183 others, including 18 Nobel Prizewinners Response from Astronomer, Carl Sagan (1934-1996), who was invited to sign the statement:"In the middle 1970s an astronomer I admire put together a modest manifesto called 'Objections to Astrology' and asked me to endorse it. I struggled with his wording, and in the end found myself unable to sign, not because I thought astrology has any validity whatever, but because I felt (and still feel) that the tone of the statement was authoritarian. It criticized astrology for having origins shrouded in superstition. But this is true as well for religion, chemistry, medicine and astronomy, to mention only four. The issue is not what faltering and rudimentary knowledge astrology came from, but what is its present validity. Then there was speculation on the psychological motivations of those who believe in astrology. These motivations - for example, the feeling of powerlessness in a complex, troublesome and unpredictable world - might explain why astrology is not generally given the sceptical scrutiny it deserves, but is quite peripheral to whether it works.The statement stressed that we can think of no mechanism by which astrology could work. This is certainly a relevant point but by itself it's unconvincing. No mechanism was known for continental drift (now subsumed in plate tectonics) when it was proposed by Alfred Wegener in the first quarter of the twentieth century to explain a range of puzzling data in geology and palaeontology. (Ore-bearing veins of rocks and fossils seemed to run continuously from eastern South America to West Africa; were the two continents once touching and the Atlantic Ocean new to our planet?) The notion was roundly dismissed by all the great geophysicists, who were certain that continents were fixed, not floating on anything, and therefore unable to 'drift'. Instead, the key twentieth-century idea in geophysics turns out to be plate tectonics; we now understand that continental plates do indeed float and 'drift' (or better, are carried by a kind of conveyor belt driven by the great heat engine of the Earth's interior), and all those great geophysicists were simply wrong. Objections to pseudoscience on the grounds of unavailable mechanism can be mistaken - although if the contentions violate well-established laws of physics, such objections of course carry great weight." ~ Carl Sagan, "Objections to Astrology" (letter to the editor), The Humanist, vol.36, no 1 (January/February 1976) p.2 reprinted in The Demon-Haunted World pp.302-303 (1995) Response from Paul Feyerabend (1924 - 1994), Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Berkeley"Now what surprises the reader whose image of science has been formed by the customary eulogies which emphasize rationality, objectivity, impartiality and so on is the religious tone of the document, the illiteracy of the 'arguments' and the authoritarian manner in which the arguments are being presented. The learned gentlemen have strong convictions, they use their authority to spread these convictions (why 186 signatures if one has arguments?), they know a few phrases which sound like arguments, but they certainly do not know what they are talking about.1Take the first sentence of the 'Statement.' It reads: 'Scientists in a variety of fields have become concerned about the increased acceptance of astrology in many parts of the world.'In 1484 the Roman Catholic Church published the Malleus Maleficarum, the outstanding textbook on witchcraft. The Malleus is a very interesting book. It has four parts: phenomena, aetiology, legal aspects, theological aspects of witchcraft. ... ""The book has an introduction, a bull by Pope Innocent VIII, issued in 1484. The bull reads 'It has indeed come to our ears, not without afflicting us with bitter sorrow, that in ...' - and now comes the long list of countries and counties - 'many persons of both sexes, unmindful of their own salvation have strayed from the Catholic Faith and have abandoned themselves to devils... ' and so on. The words are almost the same as gthe words in the beginning of the 'Statement,' and so are the sentiments expressed. Both the Pope and 'the 186 leading scientists' deplore the increasing popularity of what they think are disreputable views. But what a difference in literacy and scholarship!Comparing the Malleus with accounts of contemporary knowledge the reader can easily verify that the Pope and his learned authors knew what they were talking about. This cannot be said of the scientists. They neither know the subject they attack, astrology, nor those parts of their own science that they undermine their attack. ...We see: the judgement of the '186 leading scientists' rests on the antedeluvian anthropology, on ignorance of more recent results in their own fields (astronomy, biology, and the connection between the two) as well as failure to percieve the implications of the result they do know. It shows the extent to which scientists are prepared to assert their authority even in areas in which they have no knowledge whatsoever." Feyerabend critiques the content: The poor use of English with expressions like "... dealt a serious death blow". Is there any other kind of death blow? The criticism of the dictum that the stars incline, but do not compel overlooks modern hereditary theory (for example). The statement claims that "Psychologists find no evidence that astrology is of any value" and that a horoscope is a substitute for "honest and sustained thinking". What about the reliance upon psychological tests which long ago have become a substitute for "honest and sustained thinking" in evaluation of all people of all ages? "As regards the magical origin of astrology one need only remark that science once was very closely connected with magic and must be rejected on these grounds." Feyeraband is also critical of astrology and concludes "... It is interesting to see how closely both parties approach each other in ignorance, conceit and the wish for easy power over minds." Reference 1. This is quite literally true. When a representative of the BBC wanted to interview some of the Nobel Prize Winners, they declined with the remark that they had never studied astrology and had no idea of its details. From Philosophy of Science and the Occult (1982) edited by Patrick Grim, Suny Press. pp.19-23 The Strange Case of Astrology quoted from Science in a Free Society (1978) Paul Feyerabend, published by NLB, London 11 19 23