Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us beyond Fear

WHY SCIENCE AND FAITH NEED EACH OTHER: Eight Shared Values That Move Us beyond Fear by Elaine Howard Ecklund. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2020. 176 pages. Paperback; $17.99. ISBN: 9781587434365. *Elaine Howard Ecklund is a professor of sociology, the Herbert Autrey Chair in Social Sciences at Rice University, and the founder of Rice's Religion and Public Life Program. She is well known for her studies of the intersection of science and spirituality, having published books on how scientists view religion (Science vs. Religion, Oxford University Press 2010, and Secularity and Science, Oxford University Press, 2019) and how religious people view science (Religion vs. Science, Oxford University Press 2017). In 2018 she delivered the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh on this topic. Her research takes advantage of a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of large-scale survey data and qualitative analyses of in-depth structured interviews. These scholarly studies have yielded interesting observations and paint a more complex and nuanced picture of this area than the caricature of irreconcilable conflict often suggested by the general media. *Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us beyond Fear is Ecklund's first book in this area directed toward a lay audience. It is an engaging book that integrates her research and that of others, as well as personal anecdotes and stories, to illustrate her main points. It is designed not only for individual reading, but also for discussion in small groups, as each chapter finishes with suggested questions for further discussion. Although oriented toward a lay audience, it is carefully referenced for readers who are interested in delving into the primary sources. While not explicitly stated, the book appears directed, in particular, to evangelical Protestants who are more likely than other Christians to have difficulties integrating science and faith in their worldviews. This is consistent with much of the data cited in the book in which evangelical Protestants are often more likely than mainline Protestants and Catholics to hold skeptical views regarding certain aspects of science. It is also consistent with the funding support for this book--a Templeton Religion Trust grant for a project entitled Reaching Evangelical American Leaders to Change Hearts and Minds. *The main thesis of the book is that science and faith share eight common values; an awareness of these commonalities can provide a meeting point where people of faith and scientists can come to better understand each other and thereby decrease fear and suspicion toward each other. These values are curiosity, doubt, humility, creativity, healing, awe, shalom, and gratitude, with a chapter devoted to each of these values. The first four values relate to what Ecklund calls "process"--values which speak to how scientists carry out their work and how people of faith develop their spirituality. The latter four values relate to what Ecklund calls "redemption"--values which speak to the practical applications of the work of scientists and the practical responses emanating from the spirituality of people of faith, with both groups exercising these responses toward improving the common good. *I was certainly convinced that these values are shared by both people of faith and scientists as attested to by citations from her research and the literature. But I think that they are shared in different ways and to different degrees. Part of this reflects differences in their core features: science is above all a process, a method of looking at the world and viewing it through the lenses of observation and reason to generate, usually, some mechanistic understanding. So if we consider the value "doubt," for the scientist, doubt is an essential part of the scientific method that involves constantly exploring alternative explanations for the observations. Without doubt, the scientist would achieve little progress. Faith is, above all, a process or method of looking at life and addressing questions of meaning and purpose. Although many persons of faith experience doubt at some point in their journey and processing such doubt can be a path to spiritual growth, it is not essential and certainly not a daily part of life for most believers. Conversely, "gratitude" is essential to the person of faith, forming a core part of the believer's daily worship and often present even in times of suffering. Without gratitude, the person of faith achieves little spiritual progress. Scientists, including the Christian ones referred to by Ecklund, may express a sense of gratitude for the opportunity of discovery and for the potential benefits to humanity of the results of such discovery; however, it is not an essential value for the scientist and is unlikely to be expressed by most scientists in a prominent way on a daily basis. *Arguments can be made for similar differences in the expression and relative importance of some of the other values such as curiosity, creativity, and awe. Such probing can be fodder for interesting discussions by groups using the book. Although these discussions may suggest that the terrain of this common meeting place for scientists and people of faith may be rough and uneven, I believe that such discussion will lead to a better understanding of scientists and people of faith. Differences in the expression of these values may lead to recognition of the distinct purposes and methods used by science and religion that underlie the irregular terrain. As quoted by Ecklund, distinctions between science and religion are famously described by the late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould as "non-overlapping magisteria." These non-overlapping magisteria govern distinct parts of life--"science in the empirical constitution of the universe and religion in the search for proper ethical values and spiritual meaning of our lives" (p. 154). Perhaps it is a recognition of the shared values of science and faith as well as their non-overlapping and complementary areas of endeavor that will have the best chances of resolving fear and suspicion between scientists and people of faith. Some conflict will persist as the magisteria are not completely non-overlapping. For example, as discussed in the chapter on healing, reproductive genetic technologies that incorporate gene editing have the potential to correct some human genetic disorders as well as to enhance certain human traits. The uses of such technologies involve both a scientific understanding of human development and a religious understanding of the nature of being human and the role of suffering in life. Such areas of overlap will likely be a source of contention for some time. *Ecklund has written a thoughtful book that addresses areas of interest shared by both scientists and people of faith and explores some of the issues that may continue to divide them. It will be a useful book for facilitating discussions about science in our faith communities--something which Ecklund correctly identifies as sorely lacking. However, I am not convinced that she has truly answered the question of "why science and faith need each other." The word "need" implies that one is diminished by having only one, without the other. She cites scientists who feel that their faith has enriched their work. But is "enriching" all that faith can do, and is that a need or an optional enhancement? If it is indeed a need, then there should be evidence of benefit by those who possess both. Do scientists of faith produce more or fewer leading-edge discoveries than secular scientists? Are they more or less likely to be outstanding mentors, more or less likely to become academic leaders or leaders in industry, more or less likely to serve in professional societies? Similarly, are people of faith who have positive views of science and employ values such as curiosity, doubt, creativity in ways similar to that of scientists--are they more or less likely to be leaders or influencers in their community, more or less likely to be satisfied with their spiritual lives, more or less likely to be involved in outreach, evangelism, or social justice ministries? As sociologists with extensive experience in this area and in the required methods, Ecklund and her colleagues are uniquely equipped to answer these questions. *Reviewed by Simon Wing, Professor of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 2M1.

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