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Robert K. Merton (1910–2003)

Auteur de On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript

54+ oeuvres 836 utilisateurs 11 critiques 2 Favoris

A propos de l'auteur

Comprend les noms: Robert King Merton, et al Robert K. Merton

Comprend aussi: Robert Merton (1)

Œuvres de Robert K. Merton

Social Theory and Social Structure (1957) 160 exemplaires
On Theoretical Sociology (1967) 56 exemplaires
On social structure and science (1996) 37 exemplaires
Focused Interview (1990) 20 exemplaires
Reader in Bureaucracy (1952) 17 exemplaires
Contemporary Social Problems (1966) 13 exemplaires
Ensaios de sociologia da ciência (2013) 5 exemplaires
Teoria e struttura sociale (2000) 3 exemplaires
Sociology Today - (1965) 2 exemplaires
Sociology 1 exemplaire
Studie ze sociologické teorie (2007) 1 exemplaire
Sociologia e medicina (2006) 1 exemplaire
Scienza, religione e politica (2011) 1 exemplaire

Oeuvres associées

The Double Helix [Norton Critical Edition] (1968) — Contributeur — 371 exemplaires
Man Alone: Alienation in Modern Society (1962) — Contributeur — 141 exemplaires
Masters of Sociological Thought: Ideas in Historical and Social Context (1971) — Directeur de publication, quelques éditions112 exemplaires
Lapham's Quarterly - The Future: Volume IV, Number 4, Fall 2011 (2011) — Contributeur — 23 exemplaires
Science and the Social Order (1962) — Avant-propos, quelques éditions14 exemplaires
Dear FDR: A Study of Political Letter Writing (1963) — Introduction, quelques éditions3 exemplaires

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An entertaining account and model of historical methodology.
 
Signalé
sfj2 | 7 autres critiques | Dec 3, 2023 |
What is true of every book is especially so in the case of Robert K. Merton’s On the Shoulders of Giants. Or, to quote its complete title On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript. The Post-Italianate Edition, with a foreword by Umberto Eco, an Afterword by Denis Donoghue, and a Preface and Postface by the Author. Or, to use the acronym Merton invents for it, OTSOG. I’ve cited all three variants to convey a flavor of what you’ll find in this book. Some will savor the humor, while others will be annoyed by what strikes them as intellectual snobbery. Hence the evocation of the truth universally acknowledged about books in general: you’ll either enjoy it or you won’t. In the case of this book, you’ll either hate it or think it’s one of the best books you’ve ever read. No moral superiority is ascribed to those who belong to either group.
You’ll know after a few pages to which group you belong. Well, a few pages of Merton. My copy begins with a foreword by Umberto Eco, a translation of his foreword to the Italian edition. It’s vintage Eco, but I think I’d have enjoyed it more if it had appeared as an afterword (perhaps in place of that by Denis Donoghue, which in its attempt to render homage both to Merton’s thesis and style, didn’t quite rise to the level of Merton himself).
If you find yourself smiling, even laughing, in Merton’s first few pages and continue to read the entire book, you’ll find both a spoof of scholarship and a serious example of indefatigable scholarly sleuthing. In its narrowest sense, it investigates the antecedents of the phrase referred to in the title, usually attributed to Isaac Newton, and its Wirkungsgeschichte. However, it soon becomes clear that there is a broader issue, the relative value of ancient and modern learning.
Along the way, the reader is introduced to the Parvus-complex, the palimpsestic syndrome, and ghost-writing in reverse (as well as a closely-related phenomenon, anticipatory plagiarism).
Merton characterizes the whole thing as “Shandean” for his indulgence in digression, magnificently exemplified by Lawrence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. But Merton’s employment of Shandyism is not only for comic effect. Instead, it pulls back the curtain to show that scholarly inquiry often follows a zig-zag course rarely visible when the results are published. So for anyone with academic interests, this book is more than entertaining: it’s also a chance to see “how to scholar.” Compared with an ordinary scholarly tome, the effect is like the difference between dining in a fine restaurant and being invited to stand at the elbow of a master chef as he creates what is offered.
Merton spent his life investigating the social dimension of knowledge production (“science”). This book is the fruit of that career. It’s rich in allusion and citation (just don’t test me on all this). Did I mention that it’s entertaining? I even guffawed while reading the index.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
HenrySt123 | 7 autres critiques | Oct 20, 2022 |
This book caused me to lower my opinion of Merton.
½
 
Signalé
johnclaydon | 7 autres critiques | Sep 2, 2022 |
Including Part One of Social Theory and Social Structure
 
Signalé
LanternLibrary | Aug 9, 2017 |

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Œuvres
54
Aussi par
7
Membres
836
Popularité
#30,569
Évaluation
4.0
Critiques
11
ISBN
72
Langues
9
Favoris
2

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