The Sociology Of Invention

The social factors that spur inventiveness and the social effects of inventions were treated at book length for the first time in this work, originally published in 1935. The author develops his presentation on the basis of 38 explicitly stated propositions. The author writes, "That inventionis an important subject for modern mankind to understand and perhaps later improve, all will agree. That invention is partly caused, hampered, promoted, steered by socialfactors and institutions (such as wealth, or the patent system) and not simply by developments in the physical sciences and industrial practice, will also be allowed. (How great is the social causation we shall discuss.) Likewise that inventions have wide social, and not simply industrial effects,has been common knowledge for nigh a century. There would seem then every call for a treatise on the Sociology of Invention. Yet not one book with this definitive field has been published in any language.... "Our problem is to combine those two worlds of thot, which have so rarely been conjoined—social science and engineering—in order to produce a rather new and fertile hybrid, a Sociology of Invention. It is a difficult problem, this getting people to study and think in an unfamiliar world; and we have tried to solve it for some readers, and dodge it for most...."

Subtitle varies slightly. Includes bibliographies.

"The exploration of the social conditions that facilitate or retard the search for scientific knowledge has been the major theme of Robert K. Merton's 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. . . . Merton's Sociology of Science is a magisterial summary of the field."—Yehuda Elkana, American Journal of Sociology "Merton's work provides a rich feast for any scientist concerned for a genuine understanding of his own professional self. And Merton's 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 "Merton's 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 Merton's writings represent modern sociology of science more than any other single writer."—Richard McClintock, Contemporary Sociology