Deepak Chopra - New Age Guru or Charlatan?

[Winston]

Introduction interview with Deepak Chopra



Chopra taking on organized religion:



Chopra taking on organized science:

[Winston]

Check out this debate between Deepak Chopra and a Christian Apologist. That Christian guy is such a fanatic and states the Gospels as literal truth, without giving any valid evidence.

[Winston]

Check out this awesome debate in Spain between Deepak Chopra (spiritual guru and best-selling mind/body wellness author) vs. Richard Dawkins (closed minded atheist fundamentalist and evolutionist) about science, spirituality and consciousness.

Chopra outshines Dawkins and makes more sense, revealing Dawkins to be a closed minded fundamentalist who refuses to embrace consciousness.

[MrPeabody]

I don't like either of these speakers. Dawkins is correct that Chopra is an obscuritanist who confuses the use of the word "quantum" mainly to sell his books. However, Dawkins has anger issues and if he were honest he would admit that science can't prove or disprove God. By using science to discredit religion, he is going beyond the competency of science just like Chopra does.

[Winston]

I don't like either of these speakers. Dawkins is correct that Chopra is an obscuritanist who confuses the use of the word "quantum" mainly to sell his books. However, Dawkins has anger issues and if he were honest he would admit that science can't prove or disprove God. By using science to discredit religion, he is going beyond the competency of science just like Chopra does.

Yeah but Chopra's opinions and use of such words is qualified. He has many quantum physicists, scientists, neuroscientists, biologists and cosmologists on his side who agree with him. Such as Max Planck, Freeman Dyson, Karl Pribram, etc. He quotes many of them too. He is on the cutting edge of the merging of science and spirituality, consciousness research, etc. Many experts and scientists agree with Chopra. He's not that fringe.

Dawkins is simply uninformed about all this and acts very closed minded. He thinks all scientists agree with him, but they don't. Some are on the cutting edge of merging science and spirituality. He just isn't in tune with those circles.

Did you watch the debate? Or are you just commenting based on your prior knowledge? Chopra shines in this debate and wipes the floor with Dawkins. He makes more sense in it than Dawkins.

[MrPeabody]

I don't like either of these speakers. Dawkins is correct that Chopra is an obscuritanist who confuses the use of the word "quantum" mainly to sell his books. However, Dawkins has anger issues and if he were honest he would admit that science can't prove or disprove God. By using science to discredit religion, he is going beyond the competency of science just like Chopra does.

Yeah but Chopra's opinions and use of such words is qualified. He has many quantum physicists, scientists, neuroscientists, and cosmologists on his side who agree with him. Such as Max Planck, Freeman Dyson, Karl Pribram, etc. He quotes many of them too. He is on the cutting edge of the merging of science and spirituality, consciousness research, etc. Many experts and scientists agree with Chopra. He's not that fringe.

Dawkins is simply uninformed about all this and acts very closed minded. He thinks all scientists agree with him, but they don't. Some are on the cutting edge of merging science and spirituality. He just isn't in tune with those circles.

Did you watch the debate? Or are you just commenting based on your prior knowledge? Chopra shines in this debate and wipes the floor with Dawkins. He makes more sense in it than Dawkins.

Yes, I watched the whole thing. They were basically restating their positions and arguing about the philosophy of science. I am skeptical about Chopra saying any scientist agrees with him since he is a self-promoter. I don't like Dawkins either. I thought the debate was a wash. I have heard all those arguments before.

[Winston]

Yeah but Chopra was more eloquent and made more sense in the debate.

I'm not saying that many scientists, biologists and physicists agree with everything Chopra says. But many of them do agree with some of what he says, such as reality being an illusion, perhaps being conscious, thoughts having a greater effect on our biology and DNA than we previously thought, etc.

Chopra quotes many of them in his books and lectures. They are real quotes. Chopra isn't a liar. It doesn't mean they endorse everything Chopra says. But they have similar views about certain things.

[Winston]

In Deepak Chopra's video presentation "The Happiness Prescription" a woman told him "I was happier in Mexico and Puerto Rico. You were right about people there being happier." In response, Chopra said:

"In such cultures, people do not have as much purchasing power, so they focus on cultivating SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS with others, whereas America is more of a consumerist culture where people try to fill their void with consumerism. Hence people are labeled as "consumers". Americans also possess a strong competitive mentality toward others rather than a cooperative one like people in poorer countries do."

It's amazing how he was brave enough to mention that. Almost no New Age gurus will talk about how people are friendlier abroad. Instead, they always say that all the problems in America are the same all over the world, and that people are the same everywhere. The only cultural differences they talk about are usually in comparison with indigenous tribes in the forest that are not part of modern industrial society. So you gotta give Chopra some kudos for that.

[Falcon]

Winston, you're more of a New Age-type guy right?

Brought up to be somewhat Buddhist, not Christian anymore after your adolescent conversion, but not actually atheist either.

And yes, you're a guy who refuses to be fit into neat categories and boxes.

[pandabear]

Did you notice the comment and link that Dr. Chopra put in the Comments section?

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/928 ... d-dawkins/

[Winston]

Dr. Todd Grande's opinion of Deepak Chopra. Pretty hilarious.