From: Subject: A Critical Analysis of Nostradomus Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 13:32:14 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:geT9lnF7TGs:www.ed.brocku.ca/~nmarshal/nostradamus.htm+%22brothers+torn+apart+by+chaos%22&hl=en X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.3018.1300 A Critical Analysis of Nostradomus
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Nostradamus: A critical=20 Analysis.

I have found that a lot of humans like to trust in emotion and = superstition=20 rather than logic and common sense. This is not necessarily a bad thing = but=20 sometimes our imaginations seem to leep high above what is truly the = case.

I will try and present the information in the most objective way = possible.=20

A little Background on Nostradamus:

Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, was a famous = astrologer=20 who lived in the 16th century. He made many prophecies, both for his = current era=20 and the distant future. Most famous are his Centuries, a series of 942 = verses,=20 grouped in sets of 100, describing future events. A single verse is = commonly=20 called a quatrain and 100 quatrains a Centurie.

His writings were in French and according to the "Scholar's = Nostradamus"=20 (whether they are true scholars is a question that I will not answer), = they were=20 written in code to prevent his persecution during the Inquisition.

Some Interpretations of his writings seem to indicate that he had = amazing=20 powers that allowed him to see into the future.

Here below is a sample (Century II, Quatrain 5)

Origional French:

Qu'en dans poisson, fer & lettre enfermee, Hors sortira, qui puis = fera la=20 guerre, Aura par mer sa classe bien ramee, Apparoissant pres de Latine=20 terre.

En Anglais si vous plais (an interpretation/translation)

That which is enclosed in iron and letter in a fish, Out will go one = who will=20 then make war, He will have his fleet well rowed by sea, Appearing near = Latin=20 land.

Some people believe that this quatrain seems to indicate that = Nostradamus=20 knew there would be submarines and metal warships in the future.

This = is from=20 the In Defense of Nostradamus Web Page:

In Century 9 Quatrain 16, Nostradamus, who lived in the mid 16th = century,=20 wrote:

Original French De castel Franco sortira l'assemblee, L'ambassadeur = non=20 plaisant fera scisme: Ceux de Ribiere seront en la meslee, Et au grand = goulfre=20 desnie ont l'entree.

English Translation Out of Castille, Franco will leave the assembly, = The=20 ambassador will not agree and cause a schism: The followers of Rivera = will be in=20 the crowd, And they will refuse entry to the great gulf.

Here Nostradamus tells us that in Spain -- usings its traditional = name=20 "Castilla" -- there will be a fight between Franco and Rivera. Francisco = Franco=20 and Primo de Rivera happened to have been the two main opposing leaders = during=20 the Spanish Civil War of 1933. Let that fact speak for itself.

Further more every so often there is some sort of Nostradamus Special = on TV=20 in which the producer's "ahem-prove" that Nostradamus had some sort of = magical=20 power that allows him to predict The French Revolution, the World Wars, = the End=20 of the World and all kinds of things.

That seems pretty amazing. He must be some kind of magical happy = super=20 being.

My Opinion:

What these shows usually forget to tell you (until the credits are = rolling at=20 the end (when nobody is watching)) is that these are INTERPRETATIONS of=20 Nostradamus' writing. Of course if they made a big deal about that and = included=20 a proper logical analysis of the Quatrains (using the Scientific Method) = they=20 would probably loose ratings since a lot of people seem to enjoy = believing that=20 there are supernatural forces always at work in the Universe which = science=20 cannot explain. Wether that is true is a great philosophical question, = however=20 the point is that when Nostradamus' writing's are put to the test=20 (scientifically analysed), it shows that he really isn't as much as he = has been=20 built up to be.

At this point I would like to introduce to you what I call the = "Infinite=20 Monkey's Principle." Let's say that I have aquired an infinite amount of = monkeys=20 and an infinite amount of typewritters or word processors (It doesn't = matter).=20 Of course, as far as we know that is impossible to do (Unless you buy = factory=20 direct from me--send 500 trillion dollars to me (gold bullion only, = liquid=20 assets are not negotiable) But I digress... If these Infinite Amount of = Monkeys=20 are allowed to bang out whatever they want on the infinite typewriter, = one of=20 them will produce the complete works of Shakespear.

How? Simple if the Monkey's write random garbage but in an infinite = amount,=20 eventually because of the simple fact that it is inevitable (simple = probability=20 thought shows this).

How does this apply to Nostradamus? Well I will show you...

If I make say a thousand prophecies that are fairly abstract for = example:

In the City of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the = fortress=20 endures, the great leader will succumb

Well let us analyse this. For Example what does City of God mean? It = could be=20 Mecca, Medina, Rome, Jeruselum, Salt Lake City, or any holy city = depending on=20 your religion. What do I mean by thunder--a storm? War? EarthQuake? lots = of=20 stuff can be described by thunder. There are a lot of two brothers on this = world (I=20 think the Number runs among the Billions) and fortress edure's=20 what--Besiegement, Famine, etc? What Great Leader? How will he succumb? = To what?=20

Now let the prophecy rest for a few years. Add a couple thousand = more.=20 Eventually, one of them will fit close enought with events that have = happened in=20 the future that the prophecy will appear to come true. If you make = enough=20 prophecies and are intelligent enough to word them in such a way that = they are=20 abstract you become instant future see-er person. For example those = psychics you=20 see every year that make predictions for the year 199-whatever generally = get one=20 or two out of ten predictions right. It is because they are good = guessers and=20 that there is enough of them to make it seem like people can really = predict the=20 future.

I am not discounting the possibility of a sixth sense nor of the = supernatural=20 but I would like to state that there is no scientifically proven Psychic = person=20 in the world. Ever psychic that says that she or he is a psychic and has = been=20 put to the test has failed quite miserably. It is true. There is no = discounting=20 that fact.

Further more, the Scholar's of Nostradomas seem to be taking further = and=20 further leaps in logic when they interpret his writings. For example = this is a=20 link to a page in which a person claims that Nostredomus prophesised the = breakup=20 of Canada. Click here = to judge=20 for yourself.

Further more I was watching a 1970's movie on Nostredamus and it = predicted=20 that the Third World War began in 1994 and was well on it's way by 1999. = (I am=20 holding my breath. Oh no!). The people who "analyse" the Quatrains = simply scan=20 through history until they find an event that seems to fit with the = quatrain.=20

Perhaps Nostredamus was a futurist. I do not know. Perhaps he = suffered some=20 sort of mental illness (hardly unusual in 16th century Europe). Maybe he = just=20 had nothing better to do with his time. I do not think though that, = faced with=20 the evidence that science has shown, he was a true Psychic who could see = the=20 future. Call me a skeptic but I believe the "Phrase Innocent Until = Proven=20 otherwise" should be used to regulate any phenomena in Nature. (In this = case it=20 would be Scientifically Explainable unless shown otherwise. Or in the = Case of=20 Psychics you are not a Psychic unless you can prove beyond reasonable = doubt that=20 you have these "powers")

That is all.

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