Synopsis
In this day and age, cyberspace may seem an unlikely gateway for the soul. But, as science commentator Margaret Wertheim argues in this volume, cyberspace has become more and more a repository for immense spiritual yearning. Wertheim explores the underpinnings of this mapping of spiritual desire onto digitized space and suggests that the modem today has become a metaphysical escape-hatch from a materialism that many people find increasingly unsatisfying. In a journey through the history of space, Wertheim traces the combined story of physical space and spiritual space from the Middle Ages to the present, and shows how reality has come to be defined as the exclusive domain of the physical world. It is against this profoundly materialistic world that Wertheim persuades us of the appeal and ultimate failure of cyberspace to satisfy spiritual needs.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: An excellent exploration of possibilities, 14 May 1999 By A Customer Margaret Wertheim has an uncanny ability to weave art, science, religion and literature into a solid analysis of culture and it's impact on how we interpret our reality. Her account of the history of our perception of space is fascinating on it's own, exploring as it does the struggle between the physical and the spiritual. However, I thought the final chapters, which examined reasons for the Net's popularity, the possibilities that people claim for it and the limitations of the virtual world were extremely insightful and well worth a read.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: This is an amazing book, 3 May 1999 By A Customer Forget the title - the real story here is in the subtitle "A History of Space from Dante to the Internet". That's what attracted me, and it lives up to the promise. In less than 200 pages Wertheim gives us the story of space from the middle ages to today. The medieval space of the afterlife, Renaissance perspective space, Copernicus' discovery of astronomical space, Einstein's relativistic space, and todays theories of cyberspace -- Wertheim connects the dots as if she is solving a complex historical puzzle. Even if you don't give a damn about cyberspace this is an amazing book. After reading this you will never take the word "space" for granted again. As Wertheim shows, there is a never-ending morphing of this quintessiential concept.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   A mind-expanding exploration of the spaces that surround us., 14 May 1999 By A Customer I have always wanted to read a cultural history of space, something that would help me understand how humans have conceived and poeticized the nature of the dimensions that surround them. Wertheim's book gave me all I wanted, and more. Wertheim shows us that space is part of a story that we humans are always telling ourselves about where and who we are. Unlike most science writers, Wertheim navigates the dire straits between science and the cultural imagination with intelligence and grace....._The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace_ isnt just longago history. In the closing chapters, Wertheim uses her fascinating tale to help us understand the psychological and even spiritual motivations that draw so many people to the Internet and electronic communications. Wertheim's basic argument -- that modern science banished the phantasms of the "soul" from our surroundings, and that those powerful images and yearnings are now returning inside the synthetic "space" of electronic information -- both acknoweldges the metaphysical yearnings expressed by cyberspace and refuses to give in to naive cyberhype. She ends her tale with some strong moral arguments rooted in both the eternal realities of the human imagination and the pressing historical demands of our time.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 6 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Wertheim's critisism of cyber-religiosity is clear/concise What a great book, Wertheim's critisism of cyber-religiosity is clear, concise and eviserating of cyber-gurus and those who would take cyberspace as a new home for the... Read more Published on 27 April 1999 The Grand Delusion A better title for this book would be "The Grand Delusion". I can't believe someone would even write this. Read more Published on 20 April 1999 An interesting new way of thinking... This book is really divided into 3 parts: history of expression of space through paintings, history of physics, and Wertheim's views on cyberspace. Read more Published on 5 April 1999