ASTRO ACCEL

CHSTM astronomy working group meeting
2025-10-07 10:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
First meeting of the history of astronomy working group of the Consortium for History of Science Technology and Medicine. If you wish to join this session, you must create an account at https://www.chstm.org/group/history-astronomy and become a member. Please direct question to Stephen Case at scase@olivet.edu .

Narratives on the Marginalization of Astrology

For our first discussion, we will be looking at two articles on the marginalization of astrology. When, how, and why did astrology go from being considered a viable knowledge system to a pseudo-science? Recent work has revisited this question, providing an overview of different factors for astrology’s marginalization and showing how explanations have moved from an emphasis on intellectual factors to social/institutional influences and back again. This will be the first meeting of our working group, so please come prepared to briefly introduce yourself and what brings you to the group!
Sources to discuss:
Michelle Aroney, “Reassessing the Marginalization of Astrology in the Early Modern World,” The Historical Journal (2023), 66, 1152–1176 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X23000328
H. Darrel Rutkin, “How to Accurately Account for Astrology’s Marginalization in the History of Science and Culture: The Central Importance of an Interpretive Framework,” Early Science and Medicine (2018), 23, 217–243 https://doi.org/10.1163/15733823-00233P02
Further reading:
Rienk Vermij and Hiro Hirai, “The Marginalization of Astrology: Introduction” Early Science and Medicine (2017), 22, 405–409 [intro to special issue] https://doi.org/10.1163/15733823-02256P01
Peter Wright, “Astrology and Science in Seventeenth-Century England,” Social Studies of Science (1995), 5/4, 399–422 https://www.jstor.org/stable/284805
Lynn Thorndike, “The True Place of Astrology in the History of Science,” Isis (1955), 46/3, 273–278 https://www.jstor.org/stable/226346

Summit II Planning Meeting
2025-10-07 11:00 - 12:00 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85798662676?pwd=[REDACTED]
This meeting is for the subcommittee planning Summit II.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85798662676?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 857 9866 2676
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Agenda HERE
