> The underlying concept here is that religious-like faith/belief has a utilitarian value regardless of the actual truth or verifiability of religious claims A

> The underlying concept here is that religious-like faith/belief has a utilitarian value regardless of the actual truth or verifiability of religious claims As far as I can tell, this is not what the paper is claiming at all. It draws a clear distinction between religious belief and a different kind of spirituality emerging from scientific thinking. The point seems closer to: the utilitarian benefits that religious people gain from their beliefs can also be gained from a spiritual outlook on science, which requires no religious beliefs or blind faith in anything. This view is completely compatible with scientific progress, and is not rooted in anything other than a kind of recognition that regardless of the progress that science makes towards labeling things, awe and wonder are always on tap, available, and benefit the scientific endeavor itself. Put more simply: getting excited about the work that you do tends to make you better at doing that work, and leads to a happier life in general.