In a survey, some 64 percent Indian scientists said they will refuse to design biological weapons, while 54 percent said they will not work on nuclear weapons, due to their moral and religious beliefs, the Times of India reported Monday.
The survey of 1,100 scientists from 130 universities and research institutes nationwide also showed that one of four Indians believes in God while many more accept the existence of a "higher power".
The survey, conducted by the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut and the Hyderabad-based Center for Inquiry, found that religion and faith had deep roots in the minds of Indian scientists.
It also threw up interesting results as 29 percent respondents believed in the philosophy of Karma, 26 percent accepted the principle of life after death and 7 percent gave credence to the existence of ghosts.
As many as 93 per cent scientists defined secularism as tolerance for various religions and philosophies, while only a minority of scientists said it meant atheism.
In 2005, space scientists traveled to Tirupati to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara before launching the rocket and satellite. 41 percent of scientists surveyed approved this religious endorsement of a space project.
However, the level of disapproval of religious intervention in such scientific activity is also high. As many as 33 percent scientists disapproved of it strongly. Only 14 percent approved. The scientists are most likely to regard their personal outlook as secular or somewhat secular. One fourth described themselves as either atheists or agnostics.
Source: Xinhua
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