Beyond Disenchantment: How Science Awakens Spiritual Yearning

Scholars of secularization suggest that while the processes of disenchantment and the delegitimization of religious institutions have weakened religious belief systems, they also produced, as an unforeseen result, a renewed awakening of spiritual and existential longing. From this perspective, the search for meaning and spiritual yearning in contemporary Western societies is not simply a residual feature of human experience; rather, it emerges with new strength and urgency as an unintended consequence of secularization itself. Scientists, who are typically perceived as carriers of secularization, are an important population in which to study this phenomenon. How is spiritual yearning manifested among scientists, and what are the differences between religious and non-religious individuals? How does spiritual yearning fit within the broader context of scientific inquiry? Does science suppress spiritual yearning—as suggested by the classical thesis of disenchantment—or stimulate it? Additionally, can science offer a framework that allows scientists to explore their spiritual or existential desires outside traditional religious systems? To address these questions, we draw on data from 104 in-depth interviews conducted in 2023–2024 with biologists and physicists across four countries: India, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Through qualitative analysis, we examine how spiritual yearning intersects with scientific inquiry, and illuminate how scientists navigate and express their search for meaning in a secular age.