Dialogues on 2012
Why the World Will Not End
By: Christopher Keating, Ph.D.
Published: June 8, 2011
Format: Paperback, 360 pages
ISBN-10: 1457503832
ISBN-13: 978-1457503832
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
"I know we've had conversations about 2012, but I didn't think you took it this seriously! What can I do to assure you that the world is not going to end on December 21? The whole business is totally bogus", writes Professor of Physics at the U.S> Naval Academy, Christopher Keating, Ph.D., in his fascinating and science based book Dialogues on 2012: Why the World Will Not End. Using the model of Galileo's monumental work Dialogues Concerning New Sciences, the author presents an easy and engaging discussion, of the many and varied myths that have been perpetuated about the Mayan calendar, and the supposed end of the world on December 21, 2012.
Christopher Keating creates an imaginary email based dialogue between a believer named Fred Spencer, a complete disbeliever named Tom Lawson, and an uncertain third participant named Aileen Gulledge. The author provides the supposed emails that pass between the three conversationalists that discuss the many purported triggers of the end of time alleged in the very misunderstood Mayan calendar. The email writers, regardless of their positions on the mythos, contribute to the deeper understanding of the topic through their in depth banter on such topics as galactic alignments, Pleides photon belts, the rogue planet Niburu, pole shifts, super volcanoes, Nostradamus, and of course the Mayan calendar itself.
Christopher Keating, Ph.D. (photo left) recognizes that the general public is confused about the supposed Mayan prophecies that receive so much attention through both the mainstream media and the internet. The author notes that these all too often outlandish claims, with no scientific basis whatsoever, are presented as actual upcoming events despite having no supporting evidence whatsoever. Through these intriguing dialogues, the scientific facts are brought forward, and the various doomsday scenarios are discredited as having no basis in fact. The author, through the character of Tom Lawson, provides the scientific case against 2012 as the end of the world, and shares the mythological background to each claim with respect, but as not being scientifically oriented in any way. One by one, the various end of the world claims are dismissed as having no scientific evidence to support them.
For me, the power of the book is how Christopher Keating combines a approachable explanation of why the supposed end of the world is not supported scientifically, with an engaging format that holds the reader's interest throughout the entire book. The use of Galileo's dialogue format, as a a framework for the science based discussion adds an extra historical dimension to the book. The three characters in the book are treated with respect, as their roles are to bring out the mythos, the scientific facts, and the overall uncertainty on the part of many members of the general public. The end notes for the book provide an excellent source for further research on the part of the reader. Overall, this is a book that deserves a wide audience considering the many unfounded claims about 2012 that are in popular circulation.
I highly recommend the fact filled and scientifically accurate book Dialogues on 2012: Why the World Will Not End by Christopher Keating, Ph.D., to anyone seeking an entertaining, yet well reasoned and presented book that explains why the purported doomsday events for 2012 will not and cannot happen. This book will put people's minds at ease, while offering some intriguing scientific ideas for further study by the reader. Overall, this is a timely and much needed book that replaces unfounded claims and false mythos, with well researched and explained scientific evidence.
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