THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508300010
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A20 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
As a strong supporter of public radio and television, I turned on WHRO-TV Tuesday night, planning to call in a pledge during its ``pledge break.'' I was horrified and very disappointed by what I saw.
A lecture by the mystic, Deepak Chopra, was on. The lecture was sponsored by the Association for Research and Enlightenment,'' a group whose devotees worship the psychic Edgar Cayce.
As described by Scientific American's Martin Gardner, Cayce's philosophy is a hodge-podge of Christianity, astrology, pyramidology and other occult traditions. In his philosophy, the conscious mind is located in the pituitary gland; the star Arcturus is the next stop for souls leaving the solar system, etc.
The lecture by Chopra was filled with scientific errors and mumbo-jumbo cloaked in scientific vocabulary. During 30 minutes, I detected 10 serious mis-statements of fact (and I'm sure there were many others). Yet, during the breaks, the information was treated completely noncritically, as if it were a NOVA program.
For decades, one of the main functions of public broadcasting has been education. Treating Cayce and Chopra in the manner displayed in this program is insulting to scientists, educators and all rational thinkers, and represents a serious abrogation of WHRO's commitment to education.
Will NOVA be pre-empted next week to show a lecture sponsored by the National Enquirer?
MARC SHER, professor
Physics Department
College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Aug. 23, 1995 by CNB