Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Deepak Chopra
He claims to be influenced by the teachings of Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita from his native India, and quantum physics. ... Principal themes Many of Chopra's themes and beliefs are stated in his first book, "Creating Health" in 1986. He launched himself as a staunch advocate of the interconnection between mind and body, advocating meditation and self-awareness as primary factors in both illness and healing. He deepened these themes in "Quantum Healing" (1989), where he examined the mysterious phenomenon of spontaneous healing of cancer. Here he introduced quantum physics as a means of understanding the mind-body connection, arguing -- as he would in many other books -- that consciousness is the basic foundation of nature and the universe. ... Criticism Chopra has been both appreciated and criticized for his frequent references to the relationship of quantum mechanics to healing processes, a connection that has drawn skepticism from some quarters because it can be considered as possibly contributing to the general confusion in the popular press regarding quantum measurement, decoherence and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.[7] Biologist PZ Myers has also criticized these claims in depth. [11] In October 2006, Myers again criticized a blog post by Chopra [12] for displaying a lack of understanding of genetics. [13] Fellow science blogger Orac has also criticized Chopra's views [14] In 1998, Chopra was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in physics for "his unique interpretation of quantum physics as it applies to life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic happiness." [15]
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Principal themes
Many of Chopra's themes and beliefs are stated in his first book, "Creating Health" in 1986. He launched himself as a staunch advocate of the interconnection between mind and body, advocating meditation and self-awareness as primary factors in both illness and healing. He deepened these themes in "Quantum Healing" (1989), where he examined the mysterious phenomenon of spontaneous healing of cancer. Here he introduced quantum physics as a means of understanding the mind-body connection, arguing -- as he would in many other books -- that consciousness is the basic foundation of nature and the universe.
Criticism
Chopra has been both appreciated and criticized for his frequent references to the relationship of quantum mechanics to healing processes, a connection that has drawn skepticism from some quarters because it can be considered as possibly contributing to the general confusion in the popular press regarding quantum measurement, decoherence and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.[7]
Biologist PZ Myers has also criticized these claims in depth. [11] In October 2006, Myers again criticized a blog post by Chopra [12] for displaying a lack of understanding of genetics. [13] Fellow science blogger Orac has also criticized Chopra's views [14]
In 1998, Chopra was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in physics for "his unique interpretation of quantum physics as it applies to life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic happiness." [15]
