Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion

Ecklund (Science vs. Religion), chair of social sciences at Rice University, presents the results of a comprehensive study into what scientists really think about religion in this illuminating work. Ecklund and her research associates at Rice University designed two survey methods—email and in-person—which collected 20,000 and 600 responses, respectively, between 2011 and 2015. While the participants are mainly biologists and physicists, they show great geographic and cultural diversity, including scientists from the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Turkey, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Ecklund and her team quote their subjects liberally to illustrate four key conclusions: there are more religious than nonreligious scientists (the authors define “religious” broadly as believing in a higher power); scientists often see spiritual qualities within science; the idea that science and religion are in constant conflict is an invention of the modern West; and that religious practices are often allowed in the scientific workplace outside of the West. Aimed at other scientists, the overtly technical prose will be a huge hurdle for most readers. Academics working in theology and the natural sciences, however, will find a wealth of new information here. (July)