Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think

Abstract

This book examines an assumption—that science and religion is irreconcilable—and tells the story from the perspective of scientists themselves, using data collected from over 1,600 surveys and 275 interviews. Narratives of 10 men and women who teach at top American research universities in the natural and social sciences are highlighted, and interwoven within their discussions of religion, work, and family are Ecklund's interpretations of the role of spirituality and faith in their personal and professional lives. Individual chapters discuss how scientists handle religion in the classroom, the efforts that have been advanced toward a purely secular university; making room for faith on campus; and what scientists are doing wrong that they could be doing right. Here she marshalls evidence for and against God on the Quad. There are several things that I really like about this book. First, it engages the reader—well written, clear prose has the potential to do that. The stories of the scientists compel you to ask questions of yourself and of others you know in ways that perhaps you have never before been prompted to do. Second, it interweaves the insights of others in a fashion that elicits dialogue and thought. Here, the book serves a little like an appetizer—gives you a taste, but leaves you looking for more as it progresses from one chapter to the next. Third, I really like the fact that the answers to the dilemmas raised by the fieldwork segue into dialogue between the reader and the narratives of the scientists. Ecklund offers some broad guiding principles for civic engagement, but she constructs the journey forward in a way that the scientists and co-religionists fill in the blanks or write the script themselves.