On 11/2/07, Abhijit Menon-Sen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > At 2007-11-02 10:11:50 -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > Also, if these one-way functions were like MD5 or SHA-1 algorithms, I > > should be able to take 2 people who have had similar lives (socially, > > economically, etc.) for the last couple of years and be able to say > > that they were born very very close to each other in time. > > The MD5 hashes of two very similar texts may be completely dissimilar, > and two similar MD5 hashes say nothing about similarities in the text > they are hashes of. > > (I'm sorry I brought up one-way functions in this context.)
No no. It's quite relevant. If the one way function of astrology is similar to a non-reversable hash in that a tiny difference in birth time can completely change the course of your life, then astrology requires a precision in determining the birth time that most people simply do not have (and even then is subject to the uncertainties brought up elsewhere in this thread.) If the "hash" is actually fuzzy enough that a difference in a few minutes either way will not affect the larger events in your life, then you should be able to roughly determine the time of birth from the events in someone's life. I.e. "if you were born in the first half of the year, then you should have had a major medical event in the last half of your 13th year, but if you were born in the last half of the year, you would not." If astrology makes testable predictions, those predictions should run both directions, unless the "hash" is unreversable - in which case astrology would be useless for the vast majority of people who do not know the precise instant of their birth. As for keeping an "open mind" that's exactly what I'm trying to do. If you accept the hypothesis that astrology is exactly what it claims it is, that implies certain consequences and generates testable conclusions. If those tests are borne out, that is evidence for astrology. Of course the converse is also true - if you have an open mind about the possible falsity of astrology, failing those tests would be evidence that astrology's claims are unfounded. An open mind works both ways. I am simply suggesting ways that Astrology's claims could be tested empirically and objectively. -- Charles
