Science vs. religion : what scientists really think - File PDF

Spiritual Entrepreneurs 67of spirituality are not simple for this population: they cannot be described inclear-cut categories. But for a significant minority, when spirituality is a partof their lives, it spawns acts of generosity.Where some traditional forms of religion might be in conflict with sciencefor this population, their spirituality isn’t. It can actually provide a frameworkthat stresses altruistic acts, even replacing religion in its significance. These scientists’accounts challenge conventional understandings of spirituality, particularlythe range of ways in which spirituality might influence its practitioners’lives.Scientists who are spiritual in the “thick” (or substantial) sense could providea clear alternative to existing notions of spirituality found among the generalpopulation. In the broadest way, then, these findings have implications formodernity and secularism. Although scientists—particularly those at eliteuniversities—are not numerically significant relative to the general population,they are nevertheless culturally influential by virtue of their positions. Theymight even be at the core of what could be an important spiritual revolution.What these scientists are doing fits nicely with Max Weber’s understandingof what intellectuals do with religion. As Weber explains, intellectuals are moreconcerned with making meaning from life’s problems rather than being rescuedfrom life’s problems. 47 Although Weber talks mainly about issues relatedto a sense of salvation, these scientists seem concerned with a more generalsearch for meaning rather than a specific concern for eternal deliverance.(Weber thinks an emphasis on meaning is typical of intellectuals more than ofother groups.) Of particular interest, there is a significant minority of scientistswho have a spirituality that is fully engaged. It infuses their work lives throughtheir relationships as teachers and advisers as well as being expressed in the veryact of science itself.One possibility is that scientists share this kind of orientation with othergroups of professionals. An engaged spirituality might simply flow from doingwork that is an all-encompassing source of identity (for doctors and lawyers,for example). Because of this aspect of professionalism, scientists might bemoved to integrate their spirituality with an already coherent sense of self thatis organized around their work. For them spirituality cannot be a compartmentalizedthing because nothing in their lives is compartmentalized—workoverlaps with self to such a large degree. The most natural way to incorporatespirituality into their lives is not only for it to flow from their work but also tobe expressed through their work.Alternatively, or in addition, it might be that an engaged spirituality flowsfrom science itself as a unique worldview, one that compels these scientists toexplore a different kind of spirituality than that found among professionals as