Robert Merton
Early Life and Education
Robert K. Merton was born on July 4, 1910, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His father was a tailor and his mother a homemaker. Merton's original name was Meyer Robert Schkolnick, but he changed it to Robert K. Merton, adopting the name of a famous magician.
Merton attended South Philadelphia High School, where he excelled academically. He then went on to study at Temple University, where he received his Bachelor's degree in 1931. During his time at Temple, Merton was influenced by the works of Pitirim Sorokin, a Russian-American sociologist and professor at Harvard University.
In 1931, Merton was accepted into Harvard University for his graduate studies, where he studied under Sorokin. He received his Master's degree in 1932 and his Ph.D. in 1936. His doctoral dissertation, "Science, Technology and Society in Seventeenth Century England," is regarded as one of the foundational texts in the sociology of science.
Career and Contributions
After receiving his Ph.D., Merton stayed at Harvard as a faculty member until 1939. He then moved to Tulane University, where he served as a professor of sociology until 1941. During this time, he developed the concept of middle range theory, which is a theory that lies between the minor but necessary working hypotheses that evolve in abundance during day-to-day research and the all-inclusive systematic efforts to develop a unified theory that will explain all the observed uniformities of social behavior, social organization and social change.
In 1941, Merton joined the faculty of Columbia University, where he would remain for the rest of his career. At Columbia, Merton further developed his theories on the sociology of science, the sociology of knowledge, and the sociology of mass communication. He also developed the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy, which is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true.
Merton's work in the sociology of science included the development of the concept of norms of science, which are the moral and ethical guidelines that scientists follow in their work. He also developed the concept of the Matthew Effect, which describes the phenomenon where eminent scientists often get more credit than a comparatively unknown researcher, even if their work is similar; it also applies to the reward system in science.
Later Life and Legacy
Merton officially retired from teaching in 1979 but continued to write and research. He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1985 for his contributions to the field of sociology. Merton passed away on February 23, 2003, in New York City.
Merton's work has had a profound impact on the field of sociology. His theories on the sociology of science, the sociology of knowledge, and the sociology of mass communication have become foundational in these fields. His concept of middle range theory has also been widely adopted and is still used in sociological research today.