Do scientists see conflict between science and faith? Which cultural factors shape the attitudes of scientists toward religion? Can scientists help show us a way to build collaboration between scientific and religious communities, if such collaborations are even possible? 

To answer these questions and more, the authors of Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion completed the most comprehensive international study of scientists' attitudes toward religion ever undertaken, surveying more than 20,000 scientists and conducting in-depth interviews with over 600 of them. From this wealth of data, the authors extract the real story of the relationship between science and religion in the lives of scientists around the world.

The book makes four key claims: there are more religious scientists then we might think; religion and science overlap in scientific work; scientists - even atheist scientists - see spirituality in science; and finally, the idea that religion and science must conflict is primarily an invention of the West. Throughout, the book couples nationally representative survey data with captivating stories of individual scientists, whose experiences highlight these important themes in the data. Secularity and Science leaves inaccurate assumptions about science and religion behind, offering a new, more nuanced understanding of how science and religion interact and how they can be integrated for the common good.

Chapter 1: From "Carriers" of the Secular to Religion in Scientific WorkPart I: WestChapter 2: The United States- Scientists Respond to EvangelicalsChapter 3: United Kingdom- "Impotent Anglicans" and "Dangerous Muslims"Chapter 4: France- Don't Ask, Don't TellChapter 5: Italy- Everyone's Catholic and Nobody CaresPart II: EastChapter 6: Turkey- The Politics of Secular MuslimsChapter 7: India- Science and Religion as Intertwined IntimatesChapter 8: Hong Kong and Taiwan- A Science Friendly Christianity and BuddhismPart III: Looking ForwardChapter 9: An Integrated Global Science and ReligionNotesBibliography

Elaine Howard Ecklund, Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, Rice University, David R. Johnson, Assistant Professor, University of Nevada Reno, Brandon Vaidyanathan, Associate Professor of Sociology, Catholic University of America, Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Fellow in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Steven W. Lewis, C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Robert A. Thomson, Jr., Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Di Di, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Santa Clara University