Serendipitous Science and the Prepared Mind
Merton on the Microenvironments of Discovery
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7733943 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cynthia Fuchs Epstein (Graduate Center-City University of New York, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 447-451 |
| Publication date | 2005-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0094-3061 • E-ISSN: 1939-8638 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/009430610503400502 |
| OpenAlex | W2004483504 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 3 |
Robert K. Merton-the acknowledged giant of sociological thought and an awesome figure to generations of students; honored by major universities throughout the world as well as by the President of the United States1 who granted him the National Medal of Science (the first awarded to a social scientist)-had his whimsical side. As every scholar whose work was subjected to his editorial pen can attest (and there were generations of them), he highlighted his comments or corrections with imprints from his collection of rubber stamps, for example, a light bulb for a good idea, a pointing finger for emphasis, or a cloud for foggy thinking. Wordsmithing was a frolic for Merton but it was always play with a purpose. He loved the ways in which words and phrases were the carriers of ideas but had their own power to frame thought. Sometimes he gasped at their transformative powers, especially when a word or phrase he coined for a complex idea made it into public discourse, among them role model, the self-fulfilling prophecy, or opportunity structure. And of course, he exclaimed over their misuse through commercialization or banalization
Cognitive science · Data science · Epistemology · Scientific discovery · Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Management Theory and Practice · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,22 |
| Citation span | 2017 - 2019 (3) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |