The Cultural Meanings of Science and Religion: Evidence From a National Survey

• In Event: 30854 - Religious Identities, Displays, and Meanings

Abstract

Despite the importance of science and religion in political and civic life, sociologists often assume uniformity in how they are interpreted by the public. Typically, researchers take for granted that people see science primarily as a source of certified knowledge and that they see religion primarily as a source of moral meaning. However, there is evidence that some people use science for moral guidance and that some turn to religion for factual information. This article contributes to research on the cultural authority of science and religion in three ways. First, it analyzes a unique set of survey measures designed to disentangle the moral and intellectual authority of science and religion, thereby providing a more complete understanding of how publics interpret them. Second, it uses latent class analysis to illustrate heterogeneity in the moral and intellectual meanings attached to science and religion. Nearly half of respondents prioritize either science or religion as sources of both knowledge and values. The remaining respondents are marked by one of three perspectives that associate science and religion with distinctive constellations of moral and intellectual meaning. Third, it demonstrates that these latent classes differ significantly in their support for public policies related to science and religion in society net of political ideology and other controls, illustrating the predictive utility of the categories we identify.

Authors

• Timothy L. O'Brien, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• Shiri Noy, Denison University