The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Hidden Messages in Water
Book Review: Beautiful Pictures But Disappointing Text
Summary: 3 Stars
The core of this little book are the pictures of water crystals that change when surrounded by music or words. Beautiful music (e.g. Mozart) and words (e.g. Love & Gratitude) create magnificient crystals while negative music (e.g. heavy metal) and words (e.g. You Fool!) create ugly, deformed crystals. This is a fascinating finding that shows the power that words and music have on the formation of water crystals.
Unfortunately, the text of this book proposes some speculative, new age theories with little or no supporting data or empirical observations. For example, the author claims that each object and each emotion emits a distinct vibration that is absorbed and remembered by water. Though there is certainly a scientific basis for vibrations in the universe (e.g. String (M) Theory), to claim that each object and each emotion emits a unique vibration, without observing and measuring it, is hypothetical at best. Because of this, one might even question if the author followed scientific procedures in collecting the pictures.
Book Review: He's exactly right.
Summary: 5 Stars
The fact that we can have good thoughts and intention is enough to make a difference. If we are able to actually do good things and good deeds it does change the world. When you show a kind action to someone it makes them more happy. Even to greater extent, when you can inspire them they are more likely to want to become better person. Sometimes so inspiring that it can change coarse of life of the other person and they want to inspire others. Its like rippling effect of water. Even if you guys do not believe the book, you can at least open your mind to the intention he is trying to get across.Book Review: Intriguing yet delirious book
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is based on a very intriguing concept, however it doesn't prove anything and it is seriously delirious. The author's thesis is: water exposed to "positive" experiences makes beautiful, regular crystals, whereas water exposed to "negative" experiences, does not make crystals or it makes incomplete crystals". This concept reflects what homeopathic medicine is based upon. I don't have anything against it. However the author shows only ONE picture for each and every condition.
He shows pictures of water crystals which were formed in the presence of the word "thank you" in different languages. Undeniably the crystals exposed to "thank you", "danke" and "merci" ARE regular. Undeniably, the crystals exposed to "grazie" and "thank you in Chinese" are IRREGULAR. Just go see for yourself. Does it mean that Chinese and Italian are intrinsically rude languages? Tap water from most cities makes poor crystals, supposedly because of the chlorine. Water from a Yellowstone pool has poor crystals, too (not a surprise because Yellowstone water is extremely rich in mineral contaminants). Nonetheless the author attaches a positive meaning to it. The water crystal from Lake Maggiore in Norther Italy is beautiful. Well, I tell ya, Lake Maggiore is NOT a clean water and you can believe me because it's exactly were I come from. The water from the Fontana di Trevi in Rome makes round crystals thus resembling the coins that people throw in the fountain. To me it is indistinguishable from the round water crystal made under the influence of the word "satan" I mean, come on!
Book Review: Very Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Like many others, I became aware of this book through the excellent film "What the Bleep?" and had high expectations for the message. The book started off interestingly enough, but as it went on, I became more and more put off by Emoto's lack of scientific perspective, even as he was claiming to be performing "research."
To be clear, I am very open minded and actively seek out cutting-edge ideas that push the envelope of our concepts of 'reality.' However, if a photo is shown of an ice crystal that purportedly got its shape from a prayer or a phrase or a song, a rational thinking person wants to know, "Out of a billion crystals that may have formed at that instant, how representative (or *subjectively selective*) is that photo that is being shown of the entire population of the crystals in the mix?" Careful statistical evaluations would be necessary to establish any solid basis for Emoto's theses. Yet no hard data such as this exists in this book. I am open to these ideas, even want to believe in them, but, where's the beef?
After viewing the photos and Emoto's captions describing them, it would be hard for an objective person --regardless of their level of open-mindedness and optimism-- to not see that his interpretations are extemely subjective and dubious. Although I was trying to hang with him, he really lost me at the point where he showed a photo of a crystal from water that had been shown a picture of a crop circle and told us the crystal looked like a UFO. (To be fair, I was fascinated by the four crystal photos of Vivaldi's Four Seasons - they seemed to fit the seasons very well.)
There's 'good' new age, and there's 'bad' new age; it was very disappointing that this book drifted into the latter. I am still open to the idea that H2O may have interesting messages; Emoto just fundamentally fails to deliver. It received two stars because it is a nicely published book, and it did stimulate me to fantisize that, applying REAL scientific research, these ideas may lead to something interesting ... someday.
Book Review: Scientific Method?
Summary: 1 Stars
Now we're presenting pretty photos as science. I don't mind the touchy-feely thoughts are powerfull stuff, and I don't mind the skeptical hard facts only stuff... But to mix the two seems to me to tread on dangerous ground. It feeds a certain habit that is more debilitating than healing.