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Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the Code
From Booklist Skinner, credited with introducing feng shui to the West, continues his search for the underlying order of the world with this gorgeously illustrated examination of the notion that some geometries reveal hidden truths about the way the universe operates. Beginning with the Greeks, such as Euclid and Pythagoras, who, Skinner explains, invented geometry as a means of constructing sacred buildings in a way that was pleasing to the gods, the text explores a variety of natural and human-made examples of sacred geometry, including the construction of Stonehenge, the shapes of crystals, and the idea of "living spirals" (the horn of a goat, the shell of a nautilus, or DNA). While some parts of the book are harder to accept than others--see, for example, the discussion of crop circles--Skinner argues persuasively that many aspects of art, architecture, and science are linked through mathematics to universal principles that govern the universe. The book's success depends entirely on how much stock one puts in this basic premise, but Skinner makes a remarkably elegant case. David Pitt Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Product Description The Da Vinci Code has awakened the public to the powerful and very ancient idea that religious truths and mathematical principles are intimately intertwined. Sacred Geometry offers an accessible way of understanding how that connection is revealed in nature and the arts. Over the centuries, temple builders have relied on magic numbers to shape sacred spaces, astronomers have used geometry to calculate holy seasons, and philosophers have observed the harmony of the universe in the numerical properties of music. By showing how the discoveries of mathematics are manifested over and over again in biology and physics, and how they have inspired the greatest works of art, this illuminating study reveals the universal principles that link us to the infinite. Reader Reviews This book is pleasant to browse, containing various lore about geometry, history, geography and the occult. It is very attractive visually, containing many nice photographs and diagrams. Unfortunately, given the important place of mathematics in the book, I am afraid to say that the author appears to know rather more about art and mysticism than he does about mathematics. For example, on page 52 we read: "For modern mathematics irrational numbers are those that cannot be pinned down to a few digits. They are, in fact, repeating decimals that go on forever." In fact, of course, irrational numbers are characterized by having decimal expansions that do not repeat. Also, on page 51, it is apparent that the author does not understand the construction of the mathematical curve known as the Conchoid of Nicomedes. This is a pity, because it would have been very easy to give the correct description since the relevant diagram is already included on the page. Comment (1) | | (Report this)
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