Customer Reviews

The Golden Section: Nature's Greatest Secret (Wooden Books)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the most famous and mysterious of numbers is pi, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. If you know some mathematics and work with logarithms, you know another important constant, e. Less well known is the number phi (the Greek symbol looks like a capital I superimposed on an o); it is in many ways simpler than the other two and is just as interesting. All you have to do is take a line segment of any length, and put a point on the line so that the point divides the line into a big segment and a little one, and so that the little segment is to the big segment as the big segment is to the line you started with. The section you made, and the connected mathematics and art, are described and illustrated in _The Golden Section: Nature's Greatest Secret_ (Walker Books) by Scott Olsen, which ought to get an award for the book with the greatest density of information in the smallest package. It has but 58 small pages, and half of those are taken up with illustrations (which are wonderfully selected ). But if you follow the pages, and have pencil, paper, and a calculator beside you, there are depths here that bigger books never touch.

It's not too interesting to put a point directly in the middle of a line. You get equal segments that way, or a ratio of one to one, or 1:1; and if a segment is 1, the whole line you bisected is 2, a ratio of 2:1. Plato knew, though, that that was one point that would divide the whole line into shorter and longer portions so that "the whole to the longer equals the longer to the shorter"; or if shorter is a, longer is b, and the whole is a + b, then a + b is to b as b is to a; in symbols, a + b : b as b : a, or a + b : b : a. The ratio is phi (pronounced "fye"). It's numerical equivalent is 1.6180339... (the ellipsis indicating its never-ending nature). There are plenty of surprising properties of this number, some of which you can find on your calculator. For instance, divide phi into one, and you get 0.6180339..., which is exactly one less than phi itself. If you square phi, you get 2.6180339..., which is exactly one more than phi itself. Phi shows up closely related to the Fibonacci Sequence, a series of numbers that shows up all over nature. Rectangles based on phi show up in architecture and art and even music.

"Because of its aesthetic qualities, embodied in its unique ability to relate the parts to the whole," writes Olsen, "golden ratios are used in the design of many modern household items." Credit cards, for instance, are very close to the 8 by 5 Fibonacci approximation of phi. Surely no one ever designed the first credit cards to reflect phi, but the ratio does seem to be inherently attractive. Olsen demonstrates that phi shows up in spirals of DNA, in human proportions, in icosahedrons, and so many other places. His handsome and accessible book is an exercise in an appealing numerology.

The Golden Section is a subject many have tried and failed to cover comprehensively. Generally these books either over-romanticize the subject and fail scientifically, or they tend instead to be over mathematical and run scared from the genuine (and still unexplained) mystery of why the Golden Section appears so widely in nature.
Scott Olsen's little book admirably steers a middle course through these choppy waters, covering everything from Lucas numbers and phyllotaxis to the common use of the 8:5 Fibonacci approximation to the Golden Section in nature and the visual arts.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone - from those with just a passing interest in the Golden Section like painters and musicians to more experienced mathematicians (check out for instance Bryson's extraordinary equations for the Solar Year on the back page!). It is an excellent book, beautifully produced and wonderfully illustrated. I'm giving it 5 stars.

I loved the ideas, concepts, and relationships explained in the text, however, I was disappointed with the design and layout of the book. Books in this series seem to be intended as quick, entertaining, and beautiful overviews of their respective topics. This book succeeds on the first two measures, but falls short of beautiful. Several of the illustration pages are black background with faint white artwork and small text - tough to read. Many of the illustrations have notations with text so small one needs a magnifying glass. Several of the concepts are presented with many small illustrations crowding the page instead of one illuminating example shown large. Overall, the book was not as pleasing as other excellent works in the series such as "Sacred Geometry" and "Platonic and Archimedian Solids."

Scott's book on the golden section, unlike all the other books I have on the subject delves into the early Platonic fascination and significance of the Golden section as the Cosmic and metaphysical model for the Emanationist explanation for empirical and metaphysical ratios both of empirical life and of the Absolute itself.

Specifically, the extreme importance of Phi, or the Golden section in every facet of phenomena, and therefore as the archetype for unraveling the nature of the Absolute (not God, but the Platonic One which is not a sentient Being!) is gone into great details in a pithy and concise manner, other books 10 times the size are verbose exercises in petty logomachy; much talk, little or no substance.

Scotts capacity to synthesize the overall importance of the Golden section and the original and ancient paradigm of the Pythagorean (and to some extent the Gnostic) model for the metaphysical universe is certainly evident.

As someone (myself) that gives 1 star reviews to 95% of books, I don't lightly recommend this small and pithy book. Phi is the religious and metaphysical paradigm which is both contrary and inclusive and the antinomy to Creationism and Nihilism (nothing-morism); and the hidden religious doctrine of Plato and his Pythagorean ancestors as well and Neoplatonic `sons'; of this Scott unveils the significance of same.

"The Golden Section" discusses...and illustrates...the history, importance and wide-ranging presence of the "golden ratio". This is a very short book and is written in a style that plays text on one page against a graphical display on the opposing page.

Scott Olsen covers a lot of ground in a short space. One thing that I appreciated about this book was the clear identification of the symbols that typically represent the golden ratio: (1) "Fye", the greater ratio (approximately 1.62) and (2) "Fee", the lesser ratio (approximately 0.62)...the respective symbols are not shown here due to font constraints.

This is a good short introduction to the history, importance and relevance of a ratio.

Dr. Olsen's "The Golden Section" is not only the best place to begin an exploration into the mysteries of this pervasive ratio, but maybe the topic of sacred geometry in general. Each lusciously illustrated section is a sutra- a packed amalgam of ideas ready to unspiral the reader through the realms of art, nature, number, music, and ultimately, the origin of consciousness and our connection to the divine. Dr. Olsen carries to us the Pythagorean tradition of number not as merely quantity, nor merely quality, but being and generator of being. There are a thousand "DaVinci Code's" on every page.

Scott Olsen's THE GOLDEN SECTION is a succinct and definitive analysis of the golden section and its prevalence in the microscopic and macroscopic worlds that we live in. Whether you are new to the concepts of sacred geometry or well read in the field, this little volume contains core concepts written in digestible chunks with supporting drawings that break down each element into easily understandable constructs that allow a thorough analysis of each stage of the divine mathematical expansion and progression that surrounds us at all levels of our existence. THE GOLDEN SECTION is worth reading and rereading for a precise glimpse into the order of the divine mystery that envelops us at every level imaginable.


Matthew J. Pallamary

Author of LAND WITHOUT EVIL

To glimpse and experience, to taste, of the inner mysteries is most assuredly a blessing. The ability to bring these teachings back to the physical world, as an act of service to mankind, is a gift indeed. In this compact work the author does just this.
With obvious insights into the subtle workings of nature and man, and therefore insights into the workings/manifestations of The One, Dr. Olsen lends revelation to knowledge once held only by adepts and those initiated into the ancient traditions. The author elequently reveals the esoteric science of such persons as Pythagoras and Plato, showing the mathematic/geometric harmony that exists throughout all. With concise illustrations and references to some of the greatest cultures and minds in history, this short book leaves the reader in awe as to the ties that make us ALL ONE.
For anyone with even a hint of stirring within to know The Truth, it is with no reservation that I recommend this writing as clarification into the phrases, "man know thy Self" and "God geometrizes" becomes readily apparent .

Dr. Olsen's, THE GOLDEN SECTION: NATURE'S GREATEST SECRET, casts a new light on the symmetry and beauty of the "hidden" aspect of nature which has been held in secrecy throughout the ages. Phi is the key that unlocks the ineffable mystery through elegant mathematics and geometry that result in nature's multitudinous physical manifestations and the the whirling cosmos. Readers will be rewarded with a brightened perspective and greater appreciation of the grand design which unifies it all in a clear and concise manner. Olsen's diminutive book speaks volumes, having been authored by one who clearly has delved deeply into the underlying origins of life. THE GOLDEN SECTION is thought provoking and mind opening, causing one to ponder the deeper mysteries of life and the universe. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in illuminating life's greater mysteries.

Wendy Mullins
Publisher

A book by its very nature is intended to impart information and/or instill thought on a subject. Scott Olsen's book The Golden Section: Nature's Greatest Secret indeed meets the criteria of both attributes. His writing ability allows even the most inept at geometry to understand Phi and the significance of its relationship to nature. Olsen not only covers some old points, but brings his own fresh perspective on Phi. I applaud his ability to convey the primary essence of Phi and its relationships to nature in just 58 pages clearly and succinctly. I truly look forward to reading additional work authored by Scott Olsen.