Science vs. Religion by Elaine Howard Ecklund
That the longstanding antagonism between science and religion is irreconcilable has been taken for granted. And in the wake of recent controversies over teaching intelligent design and the ethics of stem-cell research, the divide seems as unbridgeable as ever. In Science vs. Religion, Elaine Howard Ecklund investigates this unexamined assumption in the first systematic study of what scientists actually think and feel about religion. In the course of her research, Ecklund surveyed nearly 1,700 scientists and interviewed 275 of them. She finds that most of what we believe about the faith lives of elite scientists is wrong. Nearly 50 percent of them are religious. Many others are what she calls "spiritual entrepreneurs," seeking creative ways to work with the tensions between science and faith outside the constraints of traditional religion. The book centers around vivid portraits of 10 representative men and women working in the natural and social sciences at top American research universities. Ecklund's respondents run the gamut from Margaret, a chemist who teaches a Sunday-school class, to Arik, a physicist who chose not to believe in God well before he decided to become a scientist. Only a small minority are actively hostile to religion. Ecklund reveals how scientists-believers and skeptics alike-are struggling to engage the increasing number of religious students in their classrooms and argues that many scientists are searching for "boundary pioneers" to cross the picket lines separating science and religion. With broad implications for education, science funding, and the thorny ethical questions surrounding stem-cell research, cloning, and other cutting-edge scientific endeavors, Science vs. Religion brings a welcome dose of reality to the science and religion debates.
Since surveys of scientists' religious beliefs began nearly a century ago, no one has produced a study as deep and broad as Ecklund'sPerhaps its most surprising finding is that nearly a quarter of the atheists and agnostics describe themselves as 'spiritual.' Surely Science vs. Religion will be the gold standard of such surveys for decades to come. * Ronald L. Numbers, Hilldale Professor of the History of Science and Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison *
This is a very important book for anyone concerned with the place of science in a pluralistic and democratic society. ... For religion scholars, there is awealth of material in this book to ponder, as well as to pillage for lectures and sermons! * Daniel Liechty, Religion *
This is a very important book for anyone concerned with the place of science in a pluralistic and democratic society. ... For religion scholars, there is awealth of material in this book to ponder, as well as to pillage for lectures and sermons! * Daniel Liechty, Religion *
Elaine Howard Ecklund is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University, and Rice Scholar at the Bake Institute for Public Policy.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780199975006 |
| ISBN 10 | 0199975000 |
| Title | Science vs. Religion |
| Author | Elaine Howard Ecklund |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc |
| Year published | 2012-12-27 |
| Number of pages | 240 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |