The Actual Reason You Despise Horoscopes episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 21, 2026 · 4 MIN

The Actual Reason You Despise Horoscopes

from The School of Life · host tscol

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Why do we mock superstition? This film challenges the perceived superiority of rationality, arguing that our skepticism often stems not from intellect, but from luck and privilege. Explore how profound despair and lack of options can drive a seemingly irrational search for comfort, prompting a deeper empathy for human vulnerability. #Philosophy #Empathy #Psychology #HumanCondition #Rationality #Superstition Unlock all the content of The School of Life with a subscription to our podcast, articles, videos, and exercises, specially tailored to your needs. Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox. Sign up for more ideas, plus 10% off your first shop order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/on-mocking-the-superstitious/ “Rational people are used to being (at least in private) distinctly merciless in their mockery of the superstitious; the cohort who cling to the hope that the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter might presage an upswing in their romantic fortunes or who pray to an ancient god for help with a medical diagnosis or who close their eyes and will that - by the power of thought alone - they can influence the minds of others. How utterly and unremittingly daft, the rational will say; what knuckleheaded naivety to suppose that such manoeuvres can actually influence the course of reality…” OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth https://www.youtube.com/somegreybloke Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Why do we mock superstition? This film challenges the perceived superiority of rationality, arguing that our skepticism often stems not from intellect, but from luck and privilege. Explore how profound despair and lack of options can drive a seemingly irrational search for comfort, prompting a deeper empathy for human vulnerability. #Philosophy #Empathy #Psychology #HumanCondition #Rationality #Superstition Unlock all the content of The School of Life with a subscription to our podcast, articles, videos, and exercises, specially tailored to your needs. Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox. Sign up for more ideas, plus 10% off your first shop order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/on-mocking-the-superstitious/ “Rational people are used to being (at least in private) distinctly merciless in their mockery of the superstitious; the cohort who cling to the hope that the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter might presage an upswing in their romantic fortunes or who pray to an ancient god for help with a medical diagnosis or who close their eyes and will that - by the power of thought alone - they can influence the minds of others. How utterly and unremittingly daft, the rational will say; what knuckleheaded naivety to suppose that such manoeuvres can actually influence the course of reality…” OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth https://www.youtube.com/somegreybloke Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Actual Reason You Despise Horoscopes

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Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Why do we mock superstition? This film challenges the perceived superiority of rationality, arguing that our skepticism often stems not from intellect, but from...

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