The Spiritual Dimensions of Science

Both articles in this collection draw on data from a large qualitative international study of physicists and biologists, the “Meaning and Mystery in Science” study (2024). In the first article, theologian Pui Him Ip develops a typology of six modes of contemplation and examines the variety of ways in which scientific practice might afford occasions for such contemplation. The second article by sociologist Stefano Sbalchiero and psychologist Peter Varga applies mixed-methods lexicometric analysis to examine how religious and nonreligious scientists describe transcendent experiences. They find among nonreligious scientists a form of “contemplative empiricism” where sustained observations yield reflexive moments that the authors term the “empirical sublime.” Among religious scientists, by contrast, they find that scientists process transcendent experiences in science through a “negotiated coexistence” with their faith traditions.

Guest edited by by Brandon Vaidyanathan