Source: Real Time Economics
Do Strong Religious Beliefs Stifle Innovation?
May 11, 2015 8:30pm by Barry Ritholtz
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Freedom to think is the key. There have been periods in history where very religious people came up with incredible insights, but they were free to think. Relatively atheistic cultures that are totalitarian with little opportunity for creative thought can be stifling to innovation (North Korea). The Inquisition was more an exercise in thought control than religion more akin to North Korea totalitarianism than the religiosity of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
The median American or Canadian will plot as being quite religious, however it could be any one of dozens of religions. In many countries they would be suppressed because it was the wrong religion. Here they are (generally) free to believe, discuss, and innovate. The separation of Church and State inherent in the First Amendment is absolutely critical to maintaining innovation.
If they treated restrictive politics (e.g., communism, fascism) as a religion, they might have an even more interesting chart. That is, more dogmatic beliefs vs. innovative.
What a meaningless comparison. Innovation is not a single metric e.g. patents per capita nor is self-described “religiosity” equivalent to close-mindedness.
see:
http://www.oecd.org/site/innovationstrategy/measuringinnovationanewperspective-onlineversion.htm