A very long time in the making – the monograph from my last project is finally available for pre-order via Oxford University Press.
It contains my research on the effect of religious rhetoric and metaphors in the Covid 19 pandemic, environmental crisis and AI, how they can backfire, even when well-intentioned, how they become instrumentalised in “culture wars” – and how to use them well instead.
Excitingly, this book marks the first longer publication of my work on the history of scientism and the narrative elevation of public scientists and tech leaders to saints and beyond – and its pitfalls (very timely).
Co-authored with the unforgotten Tom McLeish, Amanda Rees, Charlotte Sleigh and David Wilkinson, it also:
– Connects history of science with science communication, providing an essential tool for thinking through current and future scenarios for science engagement
– Identifies problematic overlaps between science and Christianity, previously concealed by the refuted “conflict” thesis
– Refutes the assumption that science shows us “how” and religion “why” we do things, demonstrating the importance of thinking critically about both kinds of human endeavor
The book is released online in December 2025, and in print January 2026. More info can be found on the publishers’ website.
Dr Franziska Kohlt 