The Marginalization of Astrology: Introduction


What is it about?

Astrology was an integral part of university teaching in the Middle Ages. The discipline of "astronomia" comprehended not only the calculation of planetary orbits, but also the casting of horoscopes, the calculation of houses and aspects, the character of the various planets, and the like. Although the astronomical and astrological parts were separate and had their own textbooks, both domains were taught in the same body of education. However, starting in the seventeenth-century, universities gradually no longer considered the teaching of astrological techniques as their task. Astronomy developed further without any link to astrological pursuits. The "marginalization" of astrology is not a unique phenomenon. Many practices, widely performed during the Middle Ages, or even regarded as respectable intellectual endeavors, were gradually disqualified as ‘superstitious’ by seventeenth- and eighteenth-century intellectuals, among them alchemy, magic, physiognomy, the interpretation of portents and omens, etc. It is possible to consider that they shared some common ground, even though each of them experienced a distinct sequence and dynamics of marginalization. These complex factors lead us to believe that the marginalization of astrology cannot be summarized in some general, sweeping statements. Before asking why astrology was abandoned, we first of all have to analyze how this happened – when, where, in what fields, and among whom (scholars, intellectuals or other groups). Such facts are still largely wanting. To get a better picture of the real historical phenomenon, it is also necessary to determine what was exactly meant by ‘astrology,’ and what were the different fields in which astrological concepts were or were not practiced. This special issue of "Early Science and Medicine" aims to be a starting-point for further research on this intriguing episode in history.

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