Re: Few Christian Nobelists- why??

Craig Rusbult (rusbult@vms2.macc.wisc.edu)
Sat, 18 Oct 1997 12:52:20 -0500

In response to Donald Degraaf,who wrote:
>> Certainly we who give a high
>> priority to our relationship with our families and with the Lord will find
>> it impossible to "worship" our scientific work and devote as much time
>> to it as some others do.

George Murphy saysu,
> I don't find this very convincing. Science should be seen as a
>genuine vocation, a way of serving God by carrying out the human
>commission to neighbor & in nature. Of course the scientist who's a Xn
>won't "worship" his/her work in the sense in which only God is to be
>worshipped. OTOH, understanding that scientific work is a divine
>calling may give provide a more solid motivation for it than the purely
>secular scientist has.

I agree with you about the "worship" aspect of Donald's message, but his
comment about TIME is certainly relevant; if one scientist invests 100
hours a week doing science, and another 40 hours (in order to invest more
time with God, family, and friends), which person is more likely to
accomplish more, when this is judged in terms of Nobel-quality science?

Craig R