Deepak Chopra, Timothy Caulfield end Twitter feud
CBC News | Posted: January 26, 2017 9:26 PM | Last Updated: January 26, 2017
'Thank you for accepting my apology,' Chopra tells Caulfield at end of social-media spat
It all started back in October, and finally came to a head this week with a spirited battle of words on Twitter. And then it came to an amicable conclusion.
Children's Autism Services of Edmonton invited author Deepak Chopra to be the keynote speaker Wednesday at its annual conference.
An alternative medicine advocate and a prominent member of the New Age movement, Chopra is the author of 80 books. He has said he believes that human aging and illness can be reversed by the power of the mind.
Timothy Caulfield is a professor of health law and science policy at the University of Alberta and the author of several books including Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?, a look at the effects of celebrity-dominated culture on our ideas of living the good life.
The two have some very different opinions.
- 'Embodiment of pseudoscience': Deepak Chopra bad choice for Edmonton autism conference says expert
- Autism conference speaker Deepak Chopra brushes off criticism
In October, CBC Radio's Edmonton AM had Caulfield on the show to discuss Chopra's work.
"He's like the great de-educator," Caulfield said. "He legitimizes these ideas that have no scientific basis at all, and makes them sound scientific. He really is a fountain of meaningless jargon."
Earlier this week on Edmonton AM, Chopra brushed off that criticism off but took a shot of his own.
"Whenever you have someone who is a professional skeptic, you should be suspicious of them," Chopra said Tuesday.
"Skepticism is very healthy, but cynicism is actually a risk factor for premature death from cardiovascular disease."
Chopra invited Caulfield to his speech on Wednesday night, but things didn't exactly go as planned.
Caulfield tweeted that security guards had refused to let him into the event.
Chopra tweeted back to his own three million followers that there must had been a mistake. Then he had a change of heart, calling Caulfield a "liar."
In the end, Chopra admitted there had been a mistake at the hotel that hosted the conference. Instead of escorting Caulfield in to the event, security staff had escorted him out.
Chopra also tweeted that he had asked the hotel to issue a formal apology.
Thankfully, there was a happy ending after the brief social spat. Chopra apologized and Caulfield said he accepted.
The two appear to have put the disagreement behind them.