Varieties of Atheism in Science

A significant number of Americans view atheists as immoral elitists, aloof and unconcerned with the common good, and they view science and scientists as responsible. Thanks in large part to the prominence and influence of New Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens, New Atheism has claimed the pulpit of secularity in Western society. New Atheists have given voice to marginalized nonreligious individuals and underscored the importance of science in society. They have also advanced a derisive view of religion and forcefully argued that science and religion are intrinsically in conflict.

Many in the public around the globe think that all scientists are atheists and that all atheist scientists are New Atheists, militantly against religion and religious people. But what do everyday atheist scientists actually think about religion? Drawing on a survey of 1,293 atheist scientists in the U.S. and U.K., and 81 in-depth interviews, this book explains the pathways that led to atheism among scientists, the diverse views of religion they hold, their perspectives on the limits to what science can explain, and their views of meaning and morality. The findings reveal a vast gulf between the rhetoric of New Atheism in the public sphere and the reality of atheism in science. The story of the varieties of atheism in science is consequential for both scientific and religious communities and points to tools for dialogue between these seemingly disparate groups.


Author: Elaine Howard Ecklund, David R. Johnson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/02/2021
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.80w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780197539163


Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2022

About the Author

Elaine Howard Ecklund is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, Professor of Sociology, and director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University. She is the author of over 100 research articles and six books, including Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think and
(with Christopher P. Scheitle) Religion vs. Science: What Religious People Really Think.

David R. Johnson is Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University. He is the author of A Fractured Profession: Commercialism and Conflict in Academic Science and co-author (with Elaine Howard Ecklund) of Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really
Think About Religion.