What pseudo-science did Elizabethans rely upon in their attempts to predict and control the future ?
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Answer: D. Astrology
Explanation
Elizabethans frequently consulted astrology to interpret celestial signs and foretell future events. Astrology was widely accepted as a legitimate pseudo-science influencing human health and daily destiny. People believed planetary alignments directly affected terrestrial affairs and individual human personalities. Astrology combines astronomical observations with mythological interpretations of planetary movements. During the Renaissance, many serious scientists like John Dee also practiced astrological divination. Almanacs predicting weather and future political events were immensely popular bestsellers of the era.
Belief in cosmic order made astrology a powerful tool for explaining otherwise unpredictable disasters. Writers like Shakespeare frequently referenced astrological portents to heighten dramatic tension in plays. Modern science eventually discredited these practices during the subsequent Scientific Revolution. Alchemy focused on transmuting base metals into gold rather than predicting future human events. Metallurgy is an empirical manufacturing science dealing with the extraction of metals from ores. Geocentricity was a cosmological model of the universe rather than a divinatory technique.
- Subject
- English
- Category
- English Literature
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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