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

10Crossing the Picket Lines: The Personal Faith of ScientistsOften, simply saying “scientific studies show” is enough to gain a public hearingfor a new product or idea. But the general public is often either delugedwith misinformation or woefully underinformed. Most have little idea whatscientists actually do or the true value of their efforts. Scientists are routinelycriticized by other Americans for taking too much public money for researchthat seems of little practical benefit to the public good. More than 50 percent ofAmericans agree that “we depend too much on science and not enough onfaith” and that “scientific research these days doesn’t pay enough attention tothe moral values of society.” Nearly 25 percent of the American public thinkthat scientists are hostile to religion. 20The message of this book for Americans of faith is that even the most secularof scientists often struggle with the implications of their work for religion,especially in that many of them look to religious communities for the moraleducation of their children or for guidance in ethical matters. Moreover, thereare scientists who share your faith and who work to maintain their traditions inthe midst of the demands of their scientific career.WHY STUDY BOTH NATURAL ANDSOCIAL SCIENTISTS?When I speak of scientists, I mean both natural scientists (for this study, physicists,chemists, and biologists) and social scientists (here, sociologists,economists, political scientists, and psychologists). 21 Those who work in thenatural sciences are most likely to become involved with the public controversiesover evolution/creation and embryonic stem cell research. Social scientistsare often characterized by the general public as “village atheists” and as themost politically liberal of academics and for that reason potentially biased intheir research.The relationship between natural and social scientists is sometimes uncomfortable,but they are usually of one mind in the defense of science. Although mystudy was designed to illuminate the differences between natural and social scientists,it uncovered a lot of similarities. Both see themselves as engaged in asearch for the truth of scientific fact. And there was very little difference betweennatural and social scientists in their religious propensities. In fact, it was surprisinghow closely (with some notable exceptions) the social scientists’ conceptionsof science and the generation of scientific “facts” meshed with the views of thenatural scientists. 22 Where there are true differences I point them out. Social scientistswere included in this study in part to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue.