A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Supernatural Belief in ‘Scientific’ Worldviews?
Authors: Haimila Roosa, Metsähinen Hanne, Sevalnev Mark
Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Journal of Cognition and Culture
Journal name in source: Journal of Cognition and Culture
Volume: 24
Issue: 1-2
First page : 1
Last page: 34
ISSN: 1567-7095
eISSN: 1568-5373
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685373-12340181
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1163/15685373-12340181
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/393542599
A ‘scientific worldview’ is commonly seen as contradictory to belief in supernatural forces, and there is little research on the supernatural beliefs of individuals who identify with science. In this article, we investigate the supernatural explanations of science-oriented individuals in domains of fundamental concern (suffering, death, and origins), and how supernatural causality is reconciled with belief in science. The open-ended responses of 387 Finns were analysed. The results show that science-oriented Finns endorsed both religion-related and more secular supernatural beliefs (such as belief in evolution as a purposeful process). Following the coexistence model, science-oriented Finns applied synthetic and target-dependent reasoning. In addition, many who invoked supernatural explanations integrated supernatural causality with science. Two forms of integrated reasoning were found: 1) supernatural agency as the ultimate cause and scientific theory as the proximate cause, and 2) a similarity-based heuristic, as seen in afterlife beliefs appealing to the law of conservation of energy.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
