Do you believe in conspiracies?
My natural inclination leads me to question any conspiracy theory as soon as I hear it. Now, I do believe that this is a healthy habit, and I am not thinking about changing this general attitude anytime soon. But, it seems that the skepticism should be tempered with an extra bit of patience for more evidence in certain cases.
The skeptic in me dominated (and so he should have), for example, when I first heard about The Great Moon Hoax. I did not believe it even for a moment. Of course, I researched on the net to find out how such conspiracy theory might have come about, and a few rebuttals of the conspiracy. I did this for the same reason that I still read about the Scopes Monkey Trial - I enjoy witnessing battles in which Science/Rationalism/Skepticism are pitted against Religion/Irrationalism/. Of course, the former beats the latter hands down in each and every instance ;)
I tend to take the same attitude into analyzing any conspiracy theories I hear in the political sphere as well. If you were to tell me that India's ruling political cadres in 1970s were a hot bed of KGB paid cronies, my first reaction would have been to dismiss theory as far-fetched right away. I would have said that perhaps a few of them would be, but they would not be able to influence the course of Indian politics in any significant way. I feel that I should have been careful not to dismiss such theories with the same certainty with which I would dismiss Intelligent Design as a scientific theory. I should still be skeptical, but my skepticism should be tempered with the fact that when it comes to certain human endeavors, truth is some times stranger than fiction, and that I should be willing to wait for more evidence.
What do you think?
posted by Raahy @ 10/07/2005 03:50:00 AM
1 Comments:
What do you think of this?
Seer predicts disaster after today’s eclipse
Hyderabad, Oct. 16: The partial lunar eclipse on Monday might cause natural disasters in north India and other countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, due to the peculiar circumstances under which it is occurring. The prediction was made by the Sankaracharya of the Sri Sarada Peetham who had foretold that earthquakes would follow the solar eclipse of October 3. Six days after that eclipse, on October 9, a massive earthquake ravaged Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir.
Monday’s lunar eclipse will begin at 5.04 pm over Hyderabad and end at 6.03 pm. It will be visible in India, Australia, Pacific and North America. This is the first-ever partial eclipse in the Saros series-146, a cycle that describes the recurrence of eclipses which began more than 150 years ago, and the first time in five years that a solar and a lunar eclipse have occurred within a fortnight of each other.
The Sankaracharya said, “The eclipse is occurring in Aries. The sun will be in Libra and the Moon in Aries. This is a Meena-Mesha chandra grahanam (Pisces-Aries lunar eclipse). Mars is in Aries and Saturn, which is in the fourth position, casts its impact on Mars. Jupiter has lost its divine power. This will have a bad effect on human beings.”
The seer, Swaroopanandendra Saraswathi, who returned to the city on Sunday after 11 days of meditation and prayers in Mumbai during Dasara, told this correspondent that the impact of the eclipse will make itself felt on earth till December 11. He predicts that the lunar eclipse will cause destruction in north India and several other countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, England, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, Syria, Mexico and the United States. The eclipse may trigger major natural disasters including fires.
“The only way to escape these disasters is to pray to the Almighty and invoke His mercy,” he said. Dr C.V.V. Subramanyam, eminent astrologer and dean of Social and Other Studies, Telugu University, agrees with the Sankaracharya’s forecast. He says that Monday’s lunar eclipse, like the earlier solar eclipse, will cast its spell on “human and physical objects.”
Dr Subramanyam said that during the Aries lunar eclipse, Mars is at a critical degree, making this a significant day for major events. “Mars in retrograde motion in Taurus is certainly putting a new spin on how we view the world. Since Mars has entered Taurus, we have already experienced 20 hurricanes this year — the highest since 1933. There is also a pandemic outbreak of avian flu (in Southeast Asia) and earthquakes,” he points out.
Astrologer J.U.B. Sastry says the eclipse will affect personal relations too. Tempers could easily flare or one may either exploit or be exploited by others on an emotional level. “The Sun in Libra is in conjunction with Jupiter, which normally signals a period of productive energy. However, the Libra scale could tip either way with the opposing moon,” he explains. The lunar eclipse has a positive side too. Since it is connected to Pluto in a wedge pattern, its influence can help one to bounce back even after the worst setbacks.
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