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A Sociology of Science Interpretation of the Merton Thesis

Author(s)

Fanzhi Pu

Affiliation(s)

School of Philosophy and Public Administration, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China

Abstract

Taking the Merton thesis as its core, this paper examines the interaction between the Puritan ethic and modern science in seventeenth-century England and its influence on the institutionalization of science. The Merton thesis holds that Puritanism, as a dominant cultural value, unintentionally promoted the development and professionalization of science through its rationalism, empiricism, and utilitarianism. The paper analyses the theoretical origins of the thesis, including Weber's theory of the Protestant ethic, Parsons' structural functionalism, and Marxist views on ideology, and elaborates the common ground shared by Puritanism and the ethos of science in rationality, the belief in natural order, and experimental method. The paper then discusses the implications of the Merton thesis for science development in contemporary China, proposing to excavate the scientific potential of traditional Chinese culture and to build a modern science system that integrates Chinese and Western culture, thereby offering a new perspective on the union of science and culture.

Keywords

Merton Thesis; Puritan Ethic; Ethos of Science; Sociology of Science

References

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