A Scheme of Heaven

The History of Astrology and the Search for Our Destiny in Data

By: Alexander Boxer

Narrated by: Peter Noble

Humans are pattern-matching creatures, and astrology is the universe's grandest pattern-matching game. In this refreshing work of history and analysis, data scientist Alexander Boxer examines classical texts on astrology to expose its underlying scientific and mathematical framework.

Thousands of years ago, astrologers became the first to stumble upon the powerful storytelling possibilities inherent in numerical data. To correlate the configurations of the cosmos with our day-to-day lives, astrologers relied upon a "scheme of heaven", or horoscope, showing the precise configuration of the planets at a particular instant in time as viewed from a particular place on Earth. Although recognized as pseudoscience today, horoscopes were once considered a cutting-edge scientific tool.

Boxer teaches us how to read these esoteric charts - and appreciate the complex astronomical calculations needed to generate them - by diagramming how the heavens appeared at important moments in astrology's history. He then puts these horoscopes to the test using modern data sets and statistical science, arguing that today's data scientists do work similar to astrologers of yore. By looking back at the algorithms of ancient astrology, he suggests, we can better recognize the patterns that are timeless characteristics of our own pattern-matching tendencies.

©2020 Alexander Boxer (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A book of science, history, and wonder.

What an incredible, comprehensive, and balanced exploration of astrology! Boxer takes his time to journey through the history of astrology and how it changed from a divine art and science, to what’s largely considered silly pseudoscience by the scientific community. So why the enduring popularity and recent resurgence in this ancient tradition? Answering that question is where this book shines like the stars above!

What a wonderful book!!!

It was my introduction to astrology studies and I simply loved it. I highly recommend this book for astrology lovers!

Great Astrological History, Lack of understanding of Astrological Applications

This is a fantastic overview of the history of astrology, and man’s relationship with the sky. My only critique is that he only refers to astrology in so far as it can predict future events, as a forecasting tool/oh also an indicator of personality. Astrology can explain who you are, where you are going, how two people will interact, and yes, possibly what will happen. It can be used to clear up internal conflict or confusion, help direct efforts, and also sure help you with timing of events. It seemed like he got lost in the singular application as a forecasting tool.

An Essential Book of Epistemology and the History of Science

A Scheme of Heaven is a journey which shows the importance of Astrology to the subjects that have grown out of it. Astrology and the desire to know the future are one of the few places complex mathematics could find a home in the past.

The book deftly gets the reader (listener) thinking about how much we can actually know. The comparisons of Astrology to modern forecasting and big data operations are especially intriguing.

With the bonus astronomical, physics learning, and wonderful prose, I highly recommend “A Scheme of Heaven.”