Q&A: Religious Nobel Prize Winners
Religious Nobel Prize Winners
Question
Hello Rabbi Michi,
How do you explain the fact that there are almost no religious Jewish Nobel Prize winners {other than Professor Aumann, I’m not aware of anyone else}? Is it connected to the fact that religious society limits critical thinking up to the point of accepting things as a divine decree? Or are there other reasons? I’d be glad to hear your opinion!
Answer
There’s also Agnon. If you check the percentage in Israel, you’ll find that it’s roughly their share of the population.
But even if you were right, there could be many explanations for it. For example, many religious people engage in Torah study and develop in non-academic fields. Among the religious, even the most talented do not necessarily aspire to academic excellence. Beyond that, dedication to a career is weaker among religious people. That’s true not only in academia. There are almost no religious startup entrepreneurs either.
In my view, limiting thought is not a significant factor. Thinking in non-religious fields is not restricted, and besides, in my opinion Nobel Prize winners are not necessarily people with especially creative thinking.
Discussion on Answer
Interestingly, among devout Christians there are quite a few Nobel Prize winners. Among them are some of the greatest scientists and physicists, and some of the most brilliant minds. Most are from the Protestant side, but there are also Catholics.
Some even had theological training.
Obviously. In Christianity they did not see a contradiction between engaging in science and mathematics and engaging in the religious spirit. They don’t have kollels for intensive Talmud study. Already in the Middle Ages, monks were involved in all the sciences and in manuscripts from every field. Moreover, in the past almost everyone was religious, so what’s surprising about the fact that everyone who dealt with this was also religious? Jews only began engaging in all this in the last few generations (with secularization).
https://www.makorrishon.co.il/opinion/737077/?fbclid=IwAR1q-J0EMGvXMM6r7ABgEXiQrYnAHHSAWFuuNDTlghX4XexGh24_Hp__uOc