Professor Dave

[[File:Professor dave.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Dave Farina, in the flesh.]]
{{youtubenav}}
{{Cquote| I just want to raise the bar of scientific literacy in the world! Because I'm rooting for humanity, as it were.|||David Farina, on his [https://www.patreon.com/professordaveexplains Patreon]}}
'''David James "Dave" Farina,''' more well known as '''Professor Dave,''' is an [[United States|American]]-[[Italy|Italian]] [[science]] educator, [[YouTube]]r and former lecturer.<ref>https://www.carleton.edu/news/stories/professor-dave-farina-05-explains-how-he-attracted-345k-youtube-subscribers/</ref><ref>https://www.edweek.org/technology/professor-dave-explains-how-he-attracted-345-000-youtube-subscribers/2019/03</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkA4OImGuBk</ref><ref>https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/07/28/youtube-millionaires-professor-dave/</ref> He received his Bachelor's Degree in [[Chemistry]] from Carleton College in Minnesota 2005. After this, he migrated to first Hollywood then the San Francisco Bay area to pursue a career in music and taught [[biology]] and [[physics]] in various settings and lectured [[chemistry]] (specializing in organic chemistry) at an accredited university to pay the rent.<ref>https://www.carleton.edu/news/stories/professor-dave-farina-05-explains-how-he-attracted-345k-youtube-subscribers/</ref><ref>https://www.edweek.org/technology/professor-dave-explains-how-he-attracted-345-000-youtube-subscribers/2019/03</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkA4OImGuBk</ref><ref>https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/07/28/youtube-millionaires-professor-dave/</ref> In 2011, he began to pursue his Masters studies in synthetic organic chemistry at Cal State Northridge. He completed most of his courses on synthetic organic chemistry but was not able to complete the degree.<ref>https://www.davefarina.com/bio</ref>

In January of 2015, he started "Professor Dave Explains", a YouTube channel aiming to create educational videos for all subjects with a focus on making them succinct and with animation that aids in comprehension.  He received his MA in science education from Cal State Northridge in 2018, as the education would allow him to make higher quality educational [[YouTube]] videos.<ref>https://sites.google.com/site/davefarinamasters/</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/c/ProfessorDaveExplains/about</ref>

"Professor Dave Explains" has over 448 million views and as of October 2025 has four million subscribers.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/c/ProfessorDaveExplains/about</ref> He has videos ranging from [[economics]], [[psychology]], and much more. He also has teamed up with Emile in order to create an AP Chemistry course.<ref>https://youtu.be/gPGvzj3bJW0</ref> On 30th April 2021, he self-published a book called ''Is This Wifi Organic?''<ref>''Is This Wi-Fi Organic?: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online'' by Dave Farina (2021) Mango. ISBN 1642504157.</ref>

== Views ==
=== Religious === 
{{Cquote|So your God is a beta, wouldn't you agree?|20px|20px|Farina, talking with Jesse Lee Peterson<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 46:56]</ref>}}
Farina is an [[atheist]].<ref>https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E&t=1647</ref> He has expressed a dislike for [[Christianity]] when [[Jesse Lee Peterson]] tried to spew his misogynistic rhetoric and in a debate with [[Kent Hovind]]<ref>[https://youtu.be/lbB7AhwaZy8?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 10:57]</ref> when Kent tried to cite the Bible as evidence against [[evolution]]. He also espouses support for [[separation of church and state]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 35:46]</ref>.

=== Politics ===
Farina believes that [[racism]] is a significant issue in America. He believes that black people are disproportionately killed by police officers based on the data he has seen. He maintains that there are many subtle ways in which [[United States of America|America's]] issues relate to [[racism]]<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 13:10]</ref>. He also believes in a massive redistribution of wealth in order to financially assist those who are under the poverty line.<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E&t=1335 22:15]</ref> He has described [[Donald Trump]] as a "disgusting, narcissistic, ignorant, extremely unintelligent buffoon that has turned America into the laughing stock of the world" and has criticized him for his handling of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], such as telling people to inject bleach within themselves as a cure.<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 57:42]</ref> He supported [[Bernie Sanders]] during the [[2016 United States presidential election]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 1:06:29]</ref> His political views are not expansive, as he doesn't follow politics — preferring to spend his time on his main interest, that being [[science]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/dVG1dNygOgA?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E 13:10]</ref> He has also criticized Israel for its genocide against the Palestinian people.<ref>https://twitter.com/daveexplains/status/1712831567264162196?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/daveexplains/status/1711052183444369760?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet</ref>

David has been accused of being a communist by some of his opponents, for example, the co-hosts of Real Science Radio - a Christian [[pseudoscience]] YouTube channel/podcast.

== Debunks == 
{{Cquote| Perpetrators of hoaxes in all other realms, prepare yourself. I'm coming.|||David Farina, after making his last Flat Earth video<ref>https://youtu.be/7ae_XdFEQDw?list=PLybg94GvOJ9Ez94Fef5c19Muip_PXubxH&t=706</ref>}}

Farina has tackled lots of [[pseudoscience]], including the [[Flat Earth]], [[COVID-19]] conspiracy theories, the [[Electric Universe]] and Electric Sun, James Tour's criticisms of [[abiogenesis]], [[Ben Davidson]] and his "pseudoscientific [[Cult|doomsday cult]]"<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fTLZTEE7mU</ref> SpaceWeatherNews (known as Suspicious0bservers at the time of the upload), [[Young Earth creationism]] and [[Pierre-Marie Robitaille]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLybg94GvOJ9GEuq4mp9ruJpj-rjKQ_a6E</ref> Robitaille has responded to Dave's criticisms with his own video. ([[Ultracrepidarianism|''Knowledge of MRI Scans totally allows you to talk on astrophysics.'']]) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRrTvP95kf4</ref> Farina has also been exposing [[intelligent design]] proponents from the [[Discovery Institute]] in a series that, so far, stretches to eleven episodes,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLybg94GvOJ9HD-GlBnTYutk8D1e71y__q</ref> [[Matt Walsh]], [[Christopher Langan]], and others. More recently, he has started debunking guests on the [[Joe Rogan]] Experience, particularly Terrance Howard and Billy Carson.<ref>[https://youtu.be/kfjWxXIPTq8?t=33 0:00:33]</ref> The former holds some insane ideas about the periodic table, mathematics, and inanimate objects and particles performing [[Sex|sexual reproduction]]. The latter is a grifter who also promotes [[Ancient Aliens]]-style [[pseudohistory]]. Along with these two, he repeatedly targeted [[Eric Weinstein|Eric]] and [[Bret Weinstein]], which eventually spiraled out into debunking other lackeys of [[Peter Thiel]] and those who agree with his agenda.

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Skepticism]]
[[Category:Atheists]]
[[Category:YouTube]]

Categories: Skepticism, Atheists, YouTube