"Astronomy" or "astrology": a brief history of an apparent confusion
History and Philosophy of Physics
2012-06-27 v2
Abstract
The modern usage of the words astronomy and astrology is traced back to distinctions, largely ignored in recent scholarship. Three interpretations of celestial phenomena (in a geometric, a substantialist and a prognostic versions) coexisted during the Hellenistic period. From Plato to Isidore of Seville, semantic changes are evidenced and their later development is sketched.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1006.5209,
title = {"Astronomy" or "astrology": a brief history of an apparent confusion},
author = {A. Losev},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1006.5209},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
7 pages; tentatively emended, still unpublished