Understanding the Relationship between Science and Religion Using Bayes’ Theorem

This article examines the benefits of incorporating religious reflection into the psychology of religion and vice versa. By applying Bayes’ theorem, we discover that scientists and theologians can collaborate without sharing prior beliefs. Instead, rationality requires updating our beliefs before da...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Bulbulia, Joseph A. (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Sage 2023
Dans: Studies in Christian ethics
Année: 2023, Volume: 36, Numéro: 4, Pages: 866-878
RelBib Classification:AE Psychologie de la religion
CF Christianisme et science
NBE Anthropologie
ZD Psychologie
Sujets non-standardisés:B Longitudinal
B Natural Disaster
B psychological science
B Bayes
B Virtue
B Religion
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Résumé:This article examines the benefits of incorporating religious reflection into the psychology of religion and vice versa. By applying Bayes’ theorem, we discover that scientists and theologians can collaborate without sharing prior beliefs. Instead, rationality requires updating our beliefs before data collection in response to the degree of surprise generated by the data. Moreover, although people who start with different beliefs may become more aligned after data collection, rationality does not entail a convergence to identical beliefs. To illustrate the potential for growth in understanding from greater collaboration between theologians and scientists, I examine a longitudinal investigation of religion after a natural disaster. This case study illustrates how conversations between theological and psychological perspectives on religion can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of virtue cultivation, benefiting both science and theology.
ISSN:0953-9468
Contient:Enthalten in: Studies in Christian ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/09539468231187772