Merton thesis

Theory that the development of science has been strongly influenced by cultural, social, and economic forces - an extension of Max Weber's idea of a strong link between Protestantism and the rise of capitalism. It was suggested by the US sociologist Robert C Merton.

In Science, Technology and Society in 17th-Century England (1938), Merton argued that, in an age when scientific enquiry was not regarded as an end in itself, particular requirements in the fields of mining, navigation, and the military were given priority, and their achievement accorded a high level of recognition. Such endeavours could be justified in terms of Puritan values: it was work that contributed to the well-being of others as well as revealing the hand of God in the workings of nature. Merton's research, which included the analysis of much biographical data, is seen as having initiated the sociology of science.