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Title: Tedious
Review: Merton's work has shaped much of twentieth century American sociology. His work in the areas of anomie and deviance are especially useful. His work on the sociology of science is not. In taking a purely institutional approach, he misses much of what occurs in the actual practice of science. He wholesale buys the ideology of science. In doing so, he ignores practices and universalizes the contemporary understanding of what science "is" across space and time. More than that, however, he treats the content of scientific knoweldge as though it is beyond sociological understanding. For those interested in the historical development of the sociology of science, this is probably a necessary read. For others with an interest in the topic, it is probably best overlooked.
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