Description
Book SynopsisReveals biases within scientific PhD training programs against emerging scientists who embrace a religious faith and the ramifications for scienceScience is often viewed as antithetical to religion, and it is true that scientists, particularly those who work at universities, are generally much less religious than the average American adult. So what is it like to be a religious individual pursuing an advanced education and career in science? Featuring engaging interviews and survey data from over 1,300 PhD students in the natural and social sciences, The Faithful Scientist shows that the core challenge is not contending with contradictions between faith-based beliefs and scientific knowledge. Instead, it is the bias budding scientific practitioners face from their colleagues if they are religious. These dynamics are important for science as a field, and ultimately for those who engage with or benefit from the results of scientific research. There are real benefits to fostering diversi
Trade ReviewThis accessible and well-researched study of those who are both scientists and people of faith will be a vital resource for specialists who study religion and science. -- John H. Evans, Tata Chancellor’s Chair of Social Science, University of California, San Diego
Compellingly illustrates how religion and science are sources of social identity that shape aspiring scientists’ career paths in numerous ways. Scheitle deftly shows how graduate students reconcile religious belief with the supposed radical secularism of organized science. -- Timothy O’Brien, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
