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Reading a report on religious practice and science
Reading a report on religious practice and science for a class presentation.
Interesting things:
* Around %50 of scientists at top-level American universities report having religious beliefs. Around %70 say that they have some "spirituality."
* The "hard sciences" report more religion than the "soft sciences" report more religion than the "social sciences." The least religious science is psychology. The most is chemistry.
* Scientists are less religious than the population as a whole. The only Christian denomination represented more among scientists than the population at large is "liberal protestant." Several minority religions are over-represented among scientists by 2-3x : Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus. If you consider Atheism a religion, it is also over-represented, about on the same scale as Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
I'd really like to see a cross-comparison by social class and income bracket, but the study didn't have one.
Interesting things:
* Around %50 of scientists at top-level American universities report having religious beliefs. Around %70 say that they have some "spirituality."
* The "hard sciences" report more religion than the "soft sciences" report more religion than the "social sciences." The least religious science is psychology. The most is chemistry.
* Scientists are less religious than the population as a whole. The only Christian denomination represented more among scientists than the population at large is "liberal protestant." Several minority religions are over-represented among scientists by 2-3x : Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus. If you consider Atheism a religion, it is also over-represented, about on the same scale as Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
I'd really like to see a cross-comparison by social class and income bracket, but the study didn't have one.
no subject
If it's the latter, I really wish they broadened it to all academics. The "hard"->"soft"->"social" thing would be a lot more meaningful if you could actually extend it out to cover professors of history, literature, art, &c.
-- Alex
no subject
There's a lot of ways that it could be expanded. I'd like to see it based on income bracket or other class markers. But it's a landmark study regardless.