ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the structure of these rituals and the techniques that are used to cope with doubts can be used as a model of decision-making under uncertainty. It focuses on the process of judging that takes place during horoscopy consultations and analyse the rational method through which modernist horoscopists investigate petitioners' cases and build their diagnoses. From a technical point of view, modernist diviners rely on a rigorous formal pattern which combines theoretical concepts, technical devices and open debate to investigate the situation of a particular person in interaction with a particular environment. In the case of horoscopy consultations, the fortune-teller wins the client's trust and provides evidence of his expertise by commenting on the past and present situation of the petitioner. Thus, by judging, through a shared process, how petitioners are embedded in their environment, Chinese divination rituals work as a powerful device to dispel doubts and allow them to move in confidence.
