Customer Reviews

2012: Science or Superstition (The Definitive Guide to the Doomsday Phenomenon) (Disinformation Movie & Book Guides)

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Surprisingly this is the only book, with the exception of the 'Complete Idiot's Guide' (less said about that the better) that even tries to cover all of the angles about the 2012 meme. The pseudo-science; the new era of consciousness; the modern Maya, and on and on. If you buy only one book about 2012, I'd firmly recommend this one.

If you are looking for a breakdown of the contemporary theories regarding the approaching year of 2012 and the nonstop preaching of Armageddon in general, but you want an objective perspective free of the doomsday hype, then I highly recommend placing an order for Alexandra Bruce's 2012: SCIENCE OF SUPERSTITION. Her writing combines a brain stimulating discourse with a down to earth perspective that is not only educational, but entertaining. Far from terrorizing my spirit I found her fact distilling pursuit of the truth full of hope and inspiration. I even read much of the book out loud to my children! Read and become illuminated!

At the beginning of the month I bought 2012: Science or Superstition by Alexandra Bruce. I have been aware of the book since before its publication because I follow [...] pretty regularly with Facebook. I have previously purchased and loved Beyond the Bleep: The definitive unauthorized guide to What the Bleep Do We Know? By Alexandra Bruce. Alexandra Bruce's ability to give you an overview of a topic that is packed with more than surface information is astounding. And it benefits anyone who wants to get a real handle on the entire 2012 hubbub. I have read a few other books about 2012 before that left me a little disappointed. They were Apocalypse 2012, How To Survive 2012 and the other was The Mystery of 2012: Predictions, Prophecies, and Possibilities respectively. The previous books were all too one way or another or even out of the way. This book has been a joy to read because I at last got the grounding I was looking for into the whole spectrum of what makes up 2012. I even have taken away names of other authors, researchers, websites to look at parts of 2012 that hold a deeper fascination for me. Having read a few books from cover to cover and having done my own casual research into this topic I was amazed to have read a book on this topic that specific information that I was completely unaware of. I read Patrick Geryl's How To Survive 2012 completely mystified at these seemingly important calculations he had come to. I felt maybe it was my own mathematical inability or maybe I'd not understood because I haven't read his previous books...but nothing he said within his book compelled me to feel I wanted to look deeper because it was too over my head how he seemingly kept pulling these numbers out of nowhere. What I was craving was a broad look at the entire topic so I could get a sense of this whole fascinating topic and this book didn't disappoint. I loved it. Now that I've read it (and definitely will reread) I not only feel more informed but I have new leads to investigate on my own because of Alexandra Bruce's digging around this topic. If anyone were to ask me the book they should read to get a better complete understanding of what 2012 is I would instantly recommend this book. I have not been able to find any other that brings up the science involved, the politics, the religious, and the plain spiritual about this subject. Anyone wanting to know where, how, and why 2012 is such a huge deal to many, many people as the date approaches couldn't do better than read this book to begin a search of their that is grounded in reality but with windows to a higher spiritual reality of the would be tomorrow!

The most cohesive and thorough approach to the subject of 2012 that I have read. Rather than focusing on the purely spiritual or physical side of this phenomenon, this book offers a brief yet highly informative look at all sides of the topic ranging from Mayan culture to geomythology to the binary star theory and its relation to the precession of the equinoxes - and thats just the first 70 pages! As dense as the subject matter may be, Ms. Bruce's light-hearted and conversational writing style make this book accessible to people without a degree in astrophysics. I have read several books on 2012 throughout the last few years and was beginning to feel as if I had exhausted the subject of its possibilities - that is until I was given a copy of 2012: Science or Superstition. The books I had previously read collectively touched a quarter of the subject matter of this book. If you were to read only one book about 2012 - this should be it.

In my book it's no mean feat to hold a discussion about what some of us might otherwise consider an absurdly new-agey bunch of west coast hooey while keeping a straight face AND inspiring the same in your skeptical reader. The author of this book has pulled that act off De Luxe. And I am impressed even further that she does so without having to come across all serious and buttoned down to prove she isn't Under the Influence or simply under-educated. Her twin peaks of sophistication and curiosity are on full display but in an inviting, accessible RELAXED mode that might threaten a lesser writer's aura of credibility. I thought it unfortunate that the cover of the book sports the question 'Has the world lost its mojo?'; for me this was a signal that I was not holding a serious document in my hand. And yes, the whole subject of the book does half ask to be pitched to the admittedly juicy sun-baked intellectual flake market, so maybe that's why they did that. But after a few opening pages that felt like random anecdote beads on an expansive and colorful necklace, this thing settles into a very surprisingly provocative and enlightening discussion, however meandering. And as it became clear that the author is not herself too (in her language) 'woo woo' about all this cosmic conjecture that I normally associate with the best bonghits, I got more comfortable about my own skepticism and the need to keep a weather eye on Jenkins, Hancock and other Big Idea alternative science characters who populate the pages. Everything's still worth discussing, and when this subject comes up at the dinner party this book will have been a fine preparation; you won't come across as a cult convert OR stalwart 'denier' (for lack of better). Instead you will be informed, balanced, and very probably enthusiastic about a fascinating and multi-faceted realm of enquiry. It turns out these Mayans did NOT claim the world would end in 2012. Commensurately, neither will the relevance of this book when the big day comes and goes, regardless of what events occur to mark that moment.

This is a great and easy read, unique and refreshing. And the most interesting book out there on this subject matter. All the other positive reviews were right on. Alexandra approaches this subject from many novel perspectives so there is much food for thought, and so it is different from the other books (not dry) and her good sense of humor is evident. She also does her own software investigations, and there is a very interesting glossary included plus an extensive list of resources. It's the ideal companion for the DVD Movie of the same title. The DVD "2012: Science or Superstion" is, i believe, the best Documentary Film on this subject. The Publisher of this book was the Producer of the movie, and has made available a website of extensive information and resources and a historical and geological timeline and listing of books and films, [...] Delightful!

2012 Science or Superstition, by Alexandra Bruce, published in 2009, provides a useful tour of the claims that have been made regarding the end of the Maya Long Count on 21 December 2012. Bruce affects a scientific demeanour, which is good, given that this topic attracts so many crazies. However, Bruce is not a scientist, and her book is chock full of errors. She expresses sympathy for woo woo ideas like global crust displacement and a binary star. But then she argues that the Maya were not aware of the Milky Way, even though it is one of the most obvious and universally seen things in the sky.

In assessing Mayan cosmology, we have to try to put ourselves in their position. All high ancient cultures revered astronomy as a guide to the calendar, and as a river of time that provides the context for human evolution. The Egyptian axiom 'as above so below' suggests that the evolution of the cosmos is matched by the evolution of the earth, because the earth is part of the cosmos. It seems probable that the Mayans shared this Egyptian axiom.

Bruce impugns the observation by John Major Jenkins that the Maya were aware that the solstice will cross the Milky Way in 2012. In fact, this is one of the simplest observations deriving from ancient observation of precession of the equinox. The Mayans watched the stars carefully for thousands of years, and like the Egyptians and Babylonians, saw the slow movement of the stars as the framework of time. This slow framework is primarily seen in precession of the equinoxes and solstices, whereby the slars slowly move against the seasons.

The last time a solstice or equinox crossed the Milky Way was in about 4300 BC, more than 6000 years ago, roughly matching to the traditional Genesis timeline of the Garden of Eden. Before the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, in the Biblical account, people were in tune with the cosmos, respecting the tree of life.

What happened then in the cosmos? The equinox shifted across the Milky Way, out of the constellation of Gemini and into the constellation of Taurus. This is why, in my opinion, Genesis speaks of two flaming cherubim guarding the road to paradise. These cherubim are the constellation of Gemini, the twins, who occupied the equinox before the fall from grace, at the tail end of the Golden Age. The Biblical idea of the four living creatures, matching to the four cardinal points and four of the brightest stars near the ecliptic, coheres with this ancient observational astronomy.

The end of the Mayan Long Count in 2012, looking to when the solstice crosses the Milky Way, is the next big shift comparable to the fall. It would have been fairly easy for the Mayan astronomers to predict, although it seems they got it slightly wrong, as the solstice already crossed the galactic equator in 1998. But 14 years is nothing against 6000, and the solstice is still actually within the band of the Milky Way, and will not leave it until another decade or two.

Overall, 2012 Science or Superstition is an informative read, but you need your woo-ometer turned on. The usual crowd of crackpots - Sitchin, Von Danikin, Cruttenden - get a hearing, and the author lacks scientific background to tell fact from fantasy, and also lacks the background in comparative mythology to assess the meaning of the cosmic message of the Long Count.

To start, I am First Nations (Canadian Native Indian). Ms. Bruce insults all indigenous peoples when she debunks what she calls our 'myths' of coming from other planets. Maybe it seems too far fetched for her. It doesn't matter if she doesn't understand it, it is our truth and not for her to put down like we are savages who know nothing.

Ms. Bruce's book also dismisses Terrence MacKenna's work in ethnobotony as that being done by 'a showman tripping out on psychodelic drugs'. What she fails to write is that Mr. MacKenna's work has taken him to many tribes who use plants to reach other realms and dimensions. This type of travel is guided and of ancient ritual very specific to gaining knowledge. It is not, as Ms. Bruce would have it, someone just popping psychotropics into their system then making up things. Perhaps she would do best to start with peyote ceremony and go from there. Reality comes in many different forms : dream time, travel time etc. and is reached in many different ways - plants, vision quests etc..

There is no data to back up Ms. Bruce's opinions on these matters. She doesn't even try to bring science into it. Perhaps some small bits of reading on quantum physics and quantum math would sooth her western mind, seeing as 'science' is considered the real truth by so many.

It is easier to debunk science then indigenous belief. Every new theory that arises knocks another book off the science shelves. What was true in science 50 years ago isn't true today. How long was it held that our planetary system was the absolute truth until they discovered Planet X, took Pluto out of the picture and restructered 'the new truth' ?

While science has it's values and merits we have to understand that it is not the be all and end all.

If Ms. Bruce were to dig further then the Mayans she would find that Indigenous prophecies from around the world line up with the Mayan 2012. Here in North America it is now considered the "Time of the White Eagle" which draws the same conclusions as 2012.

Glad I didn't buy the book and it was given to me...not worth the money!

I am truly amazed by the positive reviews that I have read here. "2012: Science or Superstition" is a waste of time to read.

While I did force myself to finish the book, and I do have interest in the subject matter, it was a horrible read. My interest in the subject was peaked by reading Graham Hancock's "Fingerprints of the Gods." His book was largely discredited by the scientific community, but raised some really intriguing issues. Much of that book spoke of the basis of the Mayans (among others) apparent understanding of the Precession of the Equinoxes, and the seemingly coincidental similarities with their cultural knowledge and many others, including the ancient Egyptians. Hancock WAS quoted often in "2012", but where he made his book interesting and compelling, Alexandra Bruce made you feel like you were reading about a seance with a bunch of crazy people. (There were extensive quotes in the book from a guy who claims to be the reincarnated god of the Mayans, in avatar form...) Maybe that is ok for those into 'new age' nonsense, but if you have any respect for facts and reality, this book will HUGELY disappoint.

The research that went into the book seemed extensive, but you could work hard digging and filling holes in your backyard and have no result when you're done as well.

Annoyances: The author seemed to try to stay neutral and objective, except on things that clearly bothered her political sensibilities, and then she unabashedly injected her personal opinions. The use of the BCE/CE dating system versus the BC/AD system is annoying, and hypocritical. Christianity IS an historical fact, it has had an enormous impact in shaping our culture, and like it or not, the numbering of years in our calendar is (essentially) based on it. To switch to BC/BCE to be politically correct begs why you don't switch the numbering as well? (Good luck with that, by the way...)

The first 100 pages of this book was boring and hard to understand what the author is trying to say.It does get a little better after that but I already lost interest in it and haven't read any more for the past three weeks.Maybe I'll start reading it again when I have nothing else to do.