Personal and social problems, with which one cannot cope, drive one to witches, shamans, and quack therapists. The belief in astral forces provides an opportunity to evade the responsibility for choice and absolves people of accepting their own mistakes. At a time of widespread dissemination of scientific education and great advances in science, we can no longer assume that superstitions will disappear of their own accord. Astrology, for example, attempts to influence political and economic decisions, shamelessly intruding into the private lives of persons. Much of this is encouraged by the mass media, playing on and exploiting human fallibilities.
Mystic pseudoscience is an international malady that has stricken many countries of the world.
Today it is time for the community of Russian scientists to confront these issues with all their power. One of the unquestionably great achievements of recent years is the opportunity for people to express their opinions openly. No attempts to make magical thinking scientifically respectable can possibly conceal their utter incompatibility with science.