Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T00:36:09.727Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

CAN SCIENTISTS TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRAYER?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2019

Get access

Abstract

Over the last few decades, several scientific studies have attempted to measure the effectiveness of prayer in bringing about healing. But can we really test the therapeutic effect of prayer in the same way that we test conventional medicinal treatments? On the contrary, in this article, I present three arguments in support of the conclusion that such attempts to measure the effectiveness of prayer are based on flawed assumptions. One implication of this is that the failure to draw a positive statistical relationship between prayer and healing does not constitute good evidence against the value of prayer.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Philosophy 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)