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Majority of 18-20 year-olds call astrology science

Cylinder said:
Via Slashdot.org



Not good news [PDF]- we're going the wrong way - but I suppose as a higher proportion of students learn about astronomy, more will also confuse the two similar words. At least that's what I want to think.

I believe that children are our future,
teach them well and let them lead the way.
Show them all the beauty they possess inside.
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jasonpatterson said:
Not that the confusion is a good thing, but I wonder how many of the pro-astrology people were confused about the difference between the words "astrology" and "astronomy."
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bigred said:
I suspect many.
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Redtail said:
My first thought as well. I have a friend that teaches astronomy in NC & he constantly has to clear up the difference.
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hgc said:
Just a guess here, but I wonder if a significant part of these results is due to the decline in popularity of, and thus a greater ignorance about, astrology. What portion of these respondents have no idea what "astrology" is, and when asked if this particular -ology is a science, will guess that it is?
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Yep. I still find it irksome that the study of science that deals with celestial bodies uses the word 'astronomy' and that the study of the superstition that the movements of celestial bodies have an effect on the minutia of individual human affairs uses the word 'astrology.'

Many legitimate sciences end with with the suffix 'ology.' Some fields of study also end with the suffix 'onomy', but they are fewer in number and more likely to be referring to a "soft" man-made vs natural science such as 'economy.'

I still have to double check myself that I'm using the right word; my first inclination is almost always to use the word astrology when I am actually thinking of astronomy.


Loss Leader said:
Is there any demographic more likely to give stupid answers just to screw with survey-takers than teenagers?
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And then there's that. :)
 
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