Astrology Exiled from Academia
Astrology's academic exile · The scientific revolution's rejection
What happened
By the late 17th century astrology was fully removed from European academia. The scientific revolution — including indirectly Newton (privately interested in astrology) and Kepler (writing under astrological commissions to fund his work) — respected astrology's observational foundation but rejected its theoretical one. The Royal Society, founded in 1666, excluded astrology from membership. Universities closed astrology chairs (Bologna in 1572, Salamanca in the 1770s among the last). This "divorce" would last 250 years. Astrology survived in popular literature (almanacs, newspaper horoscope columns) and occult circles (Theosophical Society, Golden Dawn). It only partially returned to academia in the 21st century.
Why it matters
Modern astrology's "marginal" reputation begins here. Not taken seriously because not science; survived because not fully rejected. Today's "is astrology science?" debate is a reaction to this divorce.
Themes
- scientific divorce
- Enlightenment rejection
- academic exit
- going underground