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Deepak Chopra presentations on 'alternative medicine' have more to do with entertainment than science |
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In light of the massive campus advertising campaign for Deepak Chopra's presentation for the April 13 "Wellness Day," we feel we should address some possible misconceptions about the nature of Dr. Chopra's work (and maybe save some of you the ticket price). Although his appearance is sponsored by the College of Health Sciences, it is not a scientific workshop or a scholarly presentation but instead an "entertainment" event. This is not only borne out by the (steep) price for admission (which is contrary to the free dissemination and open debate of scientific information), but also by the fact that Dr. Chopra is not a practicing scientist. Instead, he follows the long (and very lucrative) tradition of much of "alternative medicine," offering his admirers miracle cures and "deeply philosophical" ruminations, many of which are totally ungrounded in empirical studies and modern scientific knowledge. In particular, he is one of the most successful writers to exploit the general public's fascination with (and lack of understanding of) topics of modern physics, like quantum theory and relativity. As scientifically trained citizens and ODU faculty, we can assure you that the "mysterious connections" between these admittedly difficult and advanced concepts of modern science and ancient (or "post-modern") health traditions exist only on the "literary" level of homophones and allegories. While there is nothing wrong with the promotion and sale of wholesome-sounding products and procedures like "breathing," "smoking cessation" and "healthy eating," one should not conclude, from the university's sponsorship of the event, that any of them are based on reliable scientific facts. People with serious illnesses are vastly better served by seeing a doctor who is willing to base his/her therapy on scientific knowledge instead of nice-sounding phrases and wishful thinking.
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