By COOK@TAHITI
Added: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 02:53:52 UTC

We all know religiosity decreases with scientific literary, so that atheism is almost universal amongst elite scientists. But as Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out in Beyond Belief 2006, there's still 7% of the National Academy of Sciences that believe in some deity. I imagine it must be a similar figure for the Royal Society and other elite bodies. That 7% requires explanation.

Any thoughts on why highly educated, highly intelligent people (that exist in a very secular milieu) still retain their supernatural beliefs? We generally cut people some slack if they have grown up in poor, ill educated backgrounds, or have seen a lot of suffering and loss of loved ones, but this doesn't account for the very upper echelon of scientists.

I'm always perplexed that articulate, learned Oxbridge/Ivy League academics like Polkinghorne, McGrath, Collins, Chapman, Turner, etc can still remain religious. Something else must be motivating them, as distinct from the general explanations motivating the 5-6 billion other humans.

Are they just the oldest amongst elite scientists? That will imply the next generation will be approaching 100% atheist?

Or will there always be a religious minority, no matter how wonderful the science education and political system is, due to some innate mental quirk?

TAGGED: ATHEISM, RELIGION, SCIENCE