Customer Reviews

The Secrets of the Vaulted Sky: Astrology and the Art of Prediction

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

 

 

This book should not be dismissed as trite information on historical divination.Many people have either mocked astrology or were spellbound by it ,through the ages.Yet,the interest in predictions based on astrological events has never waned and flourishes currently.And maybe its more popular today,thanks to our freedom of the press and the cyber-space facts at our fingertips.For a small book,concerning such a vast topic like astrology,it's packed with interesting stories about the night-stars and its impact on our global cultural history.The validity of star-observations and its potential meanings have always been argued over the years.Yet,no one can dispute the affect that the influence of the celestrial stars and planets have had on our human deciding actions ,through the centuries and foreseeably beyond tomorrow.

The title of this book is VERY misleading. It claims to tell of the art of prediction. There is really no info at all on how the ancients came up with there predictions. Or any info on how you yourself can use astrology. Instead it is history of certain societies who did employ astrologers in there courts. Well it is pretty much fact that the ancients did use Astrology so where are the SECRETS? There was really no work done at all on what predictions these ancients made and if they ever did come to pass. I think the title and sub title are very misleading. This book was presented as more of a occult book but is a bland history. He gets 3 stars simply becouse his history is accurate IMO not for enjoyabilty. Stay away if you are looking for occult science.

Fascinating and mind stimulating food for thought. Enjoyed the adventures throughout the pages. A way of understading the sciences of the skies. Very interesting as you read between the lines and learn of how much the stars created our history throughout our world from those that studied the starry starry nights.

David Berlinski's Secrets Of The Vaulted Sky is a unique survey of astrology and the art of prediction, providing interested readers with an informed and informative history of the discipline which also examines the doctrine and the science behind this metaphysical source of inquiry. Individual chapters trace the origins, evolution and modern fascination with astrology, considering their ongoing spiritual, social and political powers and the attractions of and logic behind astrological predictions. This is a simply fascinating history.

What a wonderful chapter by chapter safari into the obscure history and meaning of the incomplete science. This book takes you on a grand journey all the way back in time to when astrology and astronomy were one and the same science of revealing the universe and its secrets. The reader will be surprised to discover that many of the most rational thinkers and contributors to modern science held some degree of belief in the truth and validity of astrology. Berlinski covers the topic very responsibly, not arguing for the literal interpretation commonly found in news paper horoscopes, but not dismissing it altogether either. Berlinski covers the nature and history of astrology, presenting relevant facts and perspectives, as well as the effect that modern discoveries in cosmology and astronomy have on our current understanding. Berlinski exposes astrology's shortcomings while preserving its mystery. This book provides both skepticism as well as a defense of the ancient science, while managing to keep an open mind. In the end, the reader is left with more of a question than a verdict concerning astrology's legitimacy. This is a must read for anyone trying to develop a historically balanced and opened minded view of astrology. It is a trip.

Hoped that this would be a history of Astrology and why people believed in it. Berlinski writes "all over the place", jumping from one idea to the next. He sort of was getting to some good history but I just ran out of patience. My feeling is, he writes for himself and not for his readers.

I found this book to be an illuminating and engaging account of the history of astrology, from Assyrian times to the present. Some parallels are drawn to developments in modern science, such as quantum entanglement. I am surprised that the other reviews here have missed one of the book's main themes: the similarity between astrological and Darwinian accounts of human behavior. Just as astrologers said that human behavior is inclined but not compelled by the planets, so Richard Dawkins says that our genetic endowment inclines but does not determine our conduct.

Like astrology itself, this book is nothing but obfuscating poppycock. Ugh. Read Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World" instead and get a real education.