'The Secret,' a phenomenon, is no mystery to many
Many say the book and DVD contain the key to unlimited happiness, health, money, and relationships. Others call the message misleading.
from the March 28, 2007 edition
Page 4 of 4
Other particle physicists dispute that claim, however, on the basis that it goes beyond scientific evidence.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find a physicist or cosmologist who would agree that quantum mechanics or quantum cosmology would confirm that the universe emerges from thought," says Bruce Schumm, of the University of California, Santa Cruz. "That's something science has not addressed ... and scientists wouldn't consider provable at this point."
While the observer does influence the universe, Professor Schumm says, quantum mechanics does not say humans can do so intentionally. Schumm adds that Dr. Hagelin has done work that mainstream scientists value, but he also stands for "pseudoscientific" things that the majority do not support.
In the eclectic or synergistic mode of the New Age, "The Secret" clearly mixes various streams of thought. (An early version of the DVD featured a couple who "channel" someone called Abraham to teach the law of attraction.) Some Christians call it blasphemous, saying it encourages people to substitute themselves for God and ignores sin.
Undertones of 'blame the victim'
Others term the message narcissistic, adding that it focuses on self to the exclusion of helping others and ignores the need for hard work to achieve results.
Some criticize it for "blaming the victim" by telling people that bad things happen because of their bad thoughts. "If you follow that through, imagine what it says to somebody who's just been raped or kidnapped," says University of Waterloo's Dr. Cowan.
"The Secret," meanwhile, seems to be turning into a brand. Several of the teachers are giving seminars and retreats across the United States, and one says that a sequel to the DVD is also in the works. Publishers, hoping to ride the phenomenon's coattails, are releasing related books, and a few are already climbing the charts.
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