A more sophisticated Merton

Philosophy of the Social Sciences 39 (2):266-271 (2009)
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Abstract

An alternative account of Merton to that provided by Turner is sketched. It shows strong similarities to some quite plausible contemporary understandings of science in general. Given this reading, it would seem that Merton did not drastically change his position nor does it suffer from the ambiguities that Turner describes. Key Words: theory • naturalism • causation • functional explanation.

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10.1177/0048393109333441

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Citations of this work

Shrinking Merton.Stephen P. Turner - 2009 - Philosophy of the Social Sciences 39 (3):481-489.
What’s the Point? A Presentist Social Functionalist Account of Institutional Purpose.Armin W. Schulz - 2021 - Sage Publications Inc: Philosophy of the Social Sciences 52 (1-2):53-80.

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References found in this work

The Dappled World: A Study of the Boundaries of Science.Nancy Cartwright - 1999 - New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
How Experiments End.Peter Galison - 1988 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 39 (3):411-414.
Social Theory and Social Structure.Lawrence Haworth - 1959 - Philosophy of Science 26 (1):53-53.

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