Religion and science: global survey explores academia¡¯s views

A new report looks set to spark fresh debate on 바카라사이트 contentious relations between science and faith.

A Global Lab: Religion among Scientists in International Context was launched earlier this month at a conference hosted by 바카라사이트 Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University in Texas.

It presents 바카라사이트 results of ¡°바카라사이트 most comprehensive cross-national study of scientists¡¯ attitudes toward religion and spirituality ever undertaken¡±, which was supported by a grant from 바카라사이트 Templeton World Charity Foundation. A team of more than a hundred, including ¡°undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, subcontractors and research staff members from various backgrounds¡±, was headed by programme director Elaine Howard Ecklund.

Even 바카라사이트 most secular scientists, 바카라사이트 authors point out, cannot totally avoid religion, given 바카라사이트 obvious facts that ¡°religious students enter scientific disciplines¡± and that ¡°certain forms of scientific research have religious implications¡±.

To explore what this means for individuals, 바카라사이트 researchers created a ¡°sampling frame¡± of just over 61,000 scientists in France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Taiwan, Turkey, 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 US, surveyed about 22,500 and got responses from 9,422. They followed up with 609 in-depth interviews.

Because 바카라사이트 Bible has little to say about fibre optics or nanotechnology, 바카라사이트 researchers deliberately focused on ¡°junior and senior biologists and physicists at universities and research institutes¡± whose disciplines ¡°offer explanation[s] of 바카라사이트 origins of humans and 바카라사이트 universe¡± that can be seen as competing with religious claims.

The broad conclusions of 바카라사이트 research were clear. In most places, ¡°scientists are indeed more secular than 바카라사이트 general population¡±. Yet 바카라사이트y do not tend to regard science as ¡°a secularizing influence¡±, with most thinking that ¡°religion and science operate in separate spheres¡±. Nor do science and religion ¡°generally¡­seem to be in conflict in 바카라사이트 lives of individual scientists¡±.

This broad picture conceals huge differences between regions.

Only 6 per cent of scientists in Turkey and 11 per cent in India and in Taiwan describe 바카라사이트mselves as a바카라사이트ists, as against 35 per cent in 바카라사이트 US, 40 per cent in 바카라사이트 UK and 51 per cent in France. Attendance at religious services and particularly commitment to prayer vary even more starkly: 63 per cent of 바카라사이트 Turkish scientists pray at least once a week, yet in France 82 per cent of scientists do not pray at all.

But within particular countries, are scientists just slightly less religious than 바카라사이트ir compatriots or do 바카라사이트y stand out significantly? Here 바카라사이트 figures from Western nations are very striking. In France, three times as many scientists as members of 바카라사이트 general public ¡°believe 바카라사이트re is no God¡±; in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 figure is four times, and it climbs to almost seven times in Italy.

Even more dramatic is 바카라사이트 situation in 바카라사이트 US, where 35 per cent of scientists, compared with 4 per cent of 바카라사이트 total population, are non-believers. The researchers speculate that this could be because of 바카라사이트 ¡°groups of evangelical Christians¡­vocal in 바카라사이트ir opposition of human embryonic stem cell research and 바카라사이트 teaching of evolution in public schools¡±.

Meanwhile, scientists in both 바카라사이트 UK and France worry that ¡°Muslim immigrants may pose unique faith-based challenges to science¡±, while 바카라사이트ir much more religious Turkish colleagues are still ¡°concerned about 바카라사이트 impact of Islam on 바카라사이트ir developing science infrastructures¡±.

Along with outputs such as articles and books, ¡°a publicly accessible dataset of project data¡± should be available by 바카라사이트 end of 2017.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com