My take on supersitions and such is more hard-headed, I think. People who believe in things such as psychics and astrology simply don't know the scientific method and were never properly taught how to think critically. Those who truly understand both of these things and *still* believe are either mentally unbalanced or are blissfully fooling themselves with a bit of cognitive dissonance.

As for why they do it, well, I think it's out of some primitive need. Others in the thread have spoken of the universal human need to believe in a higher power. I don't really believe that's true. My *own* belief on this matter is one that I've stated before on the forum. The single most overriding instinct in every form of life known is survival. Without it, the species would have gone extinct long ago, so naturally all species extant today have it.

Humans are the only creatures we know of who have had the time and capacity to ponder our own mortality. We understand that all things that live must die. We understand it, but our innermost core instinct rebels against it constantly. It is from this bit of dissonance that I believe almost all of our "need to believe in something" comes from. Not all religions have a concept of a higher power or a supreme entity. But almost all religions do have one thing in common--a concept of what happens to you *after* you die. And that to me is the response to the one instinct that overrides all others, the instinct to survive at all costs. We develop a need to believe that we will *not* die, that we will be sent to paradise, or reincarnated here on Earth, or hang around here in the form of a ghost to either be worshiped as an ancestor or to just rattle some chains and scare people or something. The other consequence of this instinct for survival is a search for meaning. BECAUSE we are driven to survive, we search for meaning in our lives. Meaning *helps* us to survive, in that if you truly believe you have found a reason for living your life, you will continue to live it fruitfully. It's another wonderful survival instinct.

Belief is also comforting. It's comforting to some people to think that the stars have some control over their life, because then you can't truly be responsible for yourself if that is true. If you have bad luck, it's not because you made bad decisions, or simple random chance, it's because the stars were set against you! There's nothing you can do. Helplessness may not seem comforting to you and me, but don't look at it as helplessness. Look at it as freedom from responsibility and the yoke of choice, and you'll see it more from the believer's perspective.

So if a person finds meaning in Astrology, or comfort in psychics like John Edwards, it's a response to ingrained instincts, I think. The "cure" is, as you said, systematic teaching of the scientific method and its importance and critical thinking and how to use it. And part of that is learning to *always* use it, and not letting it slip when something "feels right".

-- Dave