[coldcode]

Making a lifetime vow does not mean you turn your brain off. The Belgian priest, Georges Lemaître, first proposed the theory that is now known as the Big Bang and made other discoveries in astronomy and physics, and still served as a priest as well.

[GuB-42]

In fact I'd say it is quite the opposite.

Let's not forget that clergy was originally a ruling class, and as such, had access to higher education and enough time to think and do research. And even today, with a few exceptions, they are far from being brainwashed cultists.

Not only they have a better than average level of scientific education, they also have a surprisingly open mind. Fitting for people who spend a good part of their life studying, even if most of it is about the Bible.

[vulcan01]

Gregor Mendel was a monk who established many of the rules of heredity (Mendelian inheritance).

[protomyth]

A service program I was associated with in the 90's had a government requirement that all social workers had their actions signed off my someone with a Masters in Social Work. That person was a Nun. It was amazing how many of the people we needed to provide the expertise to run those programs were Nuns.

[jhncls]

Sister Celine[0] is another sister who, with a PhD in math, had an important influence on algorithms to calculate explicit formulas for many recurrence relations.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celine_Fasenmyer

[HarryHirsch]

Let's not forget the Jesuit missionaries who instrumental in the cultural exchange between the West and the peoples they sought to preach the Gospel to. Matteo Ricci is one celebrated figure, the missionaries that went to the First Nations in North America were others.

[raxxorrax]

Blaise Pascal is another example. Heard he did something with all kinds of triangles.

He was quite invasive with his faith though.

[sdiq]

And Reverend Bayes, too.

[jll29]

Yes, REVEREND Bayes was clergy, too, and what would we do in machine learning without Bayes' theorem? (His grave is in London.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayes%27_theorem

[joycian]

It seems Bayes never actually wrote down what is now called Bayes Theorem. (Perhaps he knew of it). I think it was Laplace that recognized the full generality of the relationship.

[caycep]

i figure taking vows gives you the mental space to devote your time to academic (read contemplative) pursuits. I assume most spend their time thinking through the philosophies of divinity but science is certainly an area of philosophy that is worth their time...