A View From the Left (Sigh)

Here is an error-filled post about evolution by Deepak Chopra, frequent poster to the lefty blog, Huffington Post. I don’t have time to point out the many ways in which Chopra mangles his description of biology, but PZ Myers has. Clear evidence that scientific illiteracy does not respect political boundaries.

August 23rd, 2005 11:25 PM by Carl Zimmer in Evolution | 8 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

8 Responses to “A View From the Left (Sigh)”

1. cats Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 1:28 am

I have the same feeling. I am too tired to point the jet plane analogy is wrong, for I have encountered it too many times…
2. Anonymous Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 7:55 am

Depak Chopra is a crazy right winger, not a liberal.
3. mungojelly Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 10:20 am

It’s not even that the jet plane analogy is wrong in some subtle way, such that you could present a counter argument. It’s just completely contentless. It’s the same as saying, “Evolution is really unlikely! How unlikely you ask? As unlikely as me getting a date with Madonna! Take that!”

<3
4. George Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:19 am

Carl,

This sort of misinformation from Deepak is the norm for the creationists. PZ refers to Deepak as stupid, I worry that this characterization is dangerous. Deepak’s comments are carefully designed to sway some portion of public opinion – sadly. These are careful ploys the rely on the ignorance of people to decieve them and spoken by someone they believe ought to know.

This is why I am so disappointed in the NYT articles on evolution, they failed to carefully articulate the truth from a position credibility. It is a shame that you did not write those articles.
5. cats Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 11:37 am

I agree. The fact is, proving something with analogy can’t be a scientific way.
6. Greg Peterson Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 12:01 pm

Uniquely, deeply, deepakly depressing.

The good news is that the comments on the bad doctor’s pseudoscience often roundly debunked his phony “questions.” And it was good to see links to TalkOrigins.

Is it any real wonder that a person who spews utter nonsense on other aspects of reality would get biology wrong as well, though?
7. David Lewin Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 12:26 pm

I haven’t read the piece by Chopra, but he has done the same kind of thing in trying to use quantum physics as an argument to support his New Ageish ideas. (For that matter, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi claims to have degrees in physics.)
8. badger3k Says:
August 24th, 2005 at 5:13 pm

His latest gets better. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/rescuing-intelligent-desi_b_6164.html

When I turn off a lightbulb, am I killing a conscious being?

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