The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations

About this book

"The exploration of the social conditions that facilitate or retard the search for scientific knowledge has been the major theme of Robert K. Mertons work for forty years. This collection of papers is a fascinating overview of this sustained inquiry. . . . There are very few other books in sociology . . . with such meticulous scholarship or so elegant a style. This collection of papers is and is likely to remain for a long time one of the most important books in sociology."Joseph Ben-David New York Times Book Review "The novelty of the approach the erudition and elegance and the unusual breadth of vision make this volume one of the most important contributions to sociology in general and to the sociology of science in particular. . . . Mertons Sociology of Science is a magisterial summary of the field."Yehuda Elkana American Journal of Sociology "Mertons work provides a rich feast for any scientist concerned for a genuine understanding of his own professional self. And Mertons industry integrity and humility are permanent witnesses to that ethos which he has done so much to define and support."J. R. Ravetz American Scientist "The essays not only exhibit a diverse and penetrating analysis and a deal of historical and contemporary examples with concrete numerical data but also make genuinely good reading because of the wit the liveliness and the rich learning with which Merton writes."Philip Morrison Scientific American "Mertons impact on sociology as a whole has been large and his impact on the sociology of science has been so momentous that the title of the book is apt because Mertons writings represent modern sociology of science more than any other single writer."Richard McClintock Contemporary Sociology