Open Letter to the Royal Ontario Museum: Inviting “Quantum Mystic” Deepak Chopra Was a Big Mistake!

May 22, 2010

The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto is sponsoring an evening with "quantum mystic" Deepak Chopra.  An open letter is being circulated.  Please sign it at http://ap.io/cfi/chopra/.  E-mail me with any questions (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).  See Larry Moran's blog post for more details.  The idea is to collect as many signatures, especially from prominent academics, and then meet face to face with ROM staff to present it. Since PZ Myers signed this yesterday the attention has really soared!

    William Thorsell
    Director, the Royal Ontario Museum
    100 Queen's Park
    Toronto, ON
    M5S 2C6

    Mr. Thorsell,

    We at the Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism (CASS) at the Centre for Inquiry (Canada) and its supporters were dismayed  to learn that the Royal Ontario Museum will be sponsoring a talk by Deepak Chopra at the University of Toronto in connection with the Director's Signature Series: The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army.

    While we fully support the concept of academic freedom, we are baffled by this invitation and wonder how it fits into the mandate of the museum to "serve as an advocate for science in the study of nature," as stated in your message on the ROM website.  Mr. Chopra's new age psycho-babble may be attractive to the general public, but by inviting him to speak at the ROM, you lend undeserved scientific credibility to his pseudo-scientific claims about quantum physics, psychology, chemistry and medicine. These claims are rightly rejected as absurd by the scientific community and by promoting them you tarnish the otherwise excellent scientific reputation of the Royal Ontario Museum.

    CASS will be publishing the standard rebuttals of Deepak Chopra's fanciful quackery in order to help the public understand where he goes off the rails. Our hope is to turn this otherwise embarrassing event into a learning opportunity.  We are also contacting the sponsors of the event and the ROM's other private donors in order to voice our concern about Mr. Chopra's presentation. We would like the ROM to clarify how Mr. Chopra's visit fits into this lecture series, as it seems this is just another opportunity for him to promote his new book.  

    We look forward to hearing from you.

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Comments:

#1 William Mount (Guest) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 at 5:12pm

The sign up site is currently down due to high traffic.  You can sign the petition in the comments section of this post until it is resolved.  Thank you!  :D

#2 Joel Boyce (Guest) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 at 5:52pm

Definitely do not support Chopra being invited to a museum as if his work has credibility.  Sign me on to the open letter.

#3 William Mount (Guest) on Tuesday May 25, 2010 at 5:54pm

Hi Joel.  You can sign the open letter at the original site again.  It is back up! :D

#4 James (Guest) on Wednesday May 26, 2010 at 6:14am

I just tried to sign the petition on the original site but when I clicked on the link in the confirmation email it said:

“The confirmation code you supplied was invalid. Either it was incorrect or it has already been used.”

Is there still a problem over there?

#5 Robert M. Price (Guest) on Wednesday May 26, 2010 at 7:02am

What an inexplicable travesty! As Gregory the Great said to a bishop catering to the masses: “Do you think you will catch more fish the lower you sink?”

#6 James Randi (Guest) on Wednesday May 26, 2010 at 9:48am

Please add my signature to those who endorse the petition.  I’ve already put up my comment…

James Randi.

#7 Ryan pugh (Guest) on Wednesday May 26, 2010 at 10:05am

I recently read a article by Chopra in one of Vancouver’s major newspapers.  On completion, I spent the next hour banging my head against a wall.

#8 Robin S (Guest) on Wednesday May 26, 2010 at 8:48pm

Deepak Chopra is as potent a threat to science education as is the
Texas Board of Education.  Both are actively engaged in trying to kill critical thought.

#9 Tristan (Guest) on Thursday May 27, 2010 at 3:58pm

Will there be a protest?

#10 M. Clements-Schreiber (Guest) on Friday May 28, 2010 at 5:32am

Please add my name to the list of those who are appalled that Chopra has been invited.

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#20 James Randi (Guest) on Saturday August 28, 2010 at 4:44am

I remain appalled at the fact that the ROM could have even have considered allowing the quack Chopra to appear on their stage.  I’ve had the privilege of speaking there, and that experience now fades in importance simply because a man who preaches belief in medieval “science” shares that distinction with me.  Will the ROM next be inviting Harry Potter or Mary Poppins to speak to their audience?

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