Thursday, April 20, 2006

In which Anjana Ahuja says 'NO' to the Templeton Foundation


My vague misgivings have now been articulated by John Horgan, a science writer and agnostic who became a 2005 Templeton fellow. “I rationalised that taking the foundation’s money did not mean that it had bought me, as long as I remained true to my views,” he wrote last week in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the US equivalent of The Times Higher (click here to read his essay).

So, what happened when Horgan told a foundation official that he had no wish for religion and science to be reconciled? “She told us that . . . she didn’t think someone with those opinions should have accepted a fellowship.”

What's the Templeton Foundation upto, anyway? And, why did Anjana Ahuja say 'no'?

3 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...

    Its the same foundation I wrote about a couple days ago which sponsored a study to verify whether praying helps heart patients.

  2. Anonymous said...

    Kudos to Anjana for her views. Hey, I want to reconcile science and religion: I'd like religion to vanish altogether, very scientifically...

  3. Abi said...

    Gawker: Yes, I know the post you are talking about. Ahuja too mentions that research project in her report.

    Dilip: Yes, I second your "I'd like religion to vanish altogether, very scientifically..."