Earlier this month I read an article about astrology in The New York Times. There were no annotations, no fact checking, no editor’s notes - just the writer going on for several paragraphs too many about their love of astrology and how it had changed their life.
I was dumbfounded to read such useless fodder in the preeminent newspaper in America. I know that you, dear devotee of Thursday Thoughts, already know this, but astrology is a pseudoscience. It has never been scientifically validated and it’s never been verified in a controlled experiment. It’s complete and utter bullshit.
I’m a very skeptical person. (I’m such a Libra.) I don’t believe in anything without evidence, whether it’s a Himalayan Salt Lamp or the biggest scientific theories of our time. It’s important to me to rationalize my beliefs and keep them grounded in the truth. I want others to do the same.
“What's the harm?" I hear you ask, “If it isn’t hurting anyone just let people read their horoscopes and have their fun.”
I’ll tell you the harm: when you act on how you feel instead of what’s real we start to disagree on the truth. This is how we end up in the age of “fake news” and “alternative facts”. Once you start believing in astrology then you may start buying products from Goop, believing in outlandish conspiracy theories, or more. And soon, once you’ve successfully turned off your critical thinking skills, more damaging ideas take hold like Pizzagate or the dangerous anti-vaccination movement.
I know it seems hypocritical to perform as a mind reader while also being skeptical, but I never claim any supernatural abilities. In fact, my mission as a performer has always been to remind people that there are numerous mysteries in the world that we don’t have an explanation for. We don’t need to explain away the unknown with pseudoscience or fringe beliefs. We may never have all the answers and that’s okay.
In these polarized times I think it’s imperative that we remember to weigh the evidence and always question our beliefs, whether Mercury is in retrograde or not. If we could all just be willing to say “I don’t know” then at least we’ve found one thing to agree on and maybe it’ll be a little easier to find some other stuff to agree on, too.
Other Thoughts:
If you live in Chicago you simply must check out the Andy Warhol Exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute. It’s incredible.
I'm at the Magic Penthouse tomorrow night. Don’t miss it!
Also, we finally had a chance to go to the Starbucks Chicago Roastery aka the largest Starbucks in the world. It’s the most extravagant place to get free wifi in the entire city.