Pregledni rad
Eponymy in Social Sciences: Merton and Sociology of Eponymy
Slaven RAVLIĆ
Sažetak
By analysing Merton's contribution to the sociology of
eponymy as an essential part of his sociology of science, this
paper tries to point at the broader theoretical framework for
examining the eponymy process in social sciences and
indicate some special characteristics of this process in
particular sciences. Merton has shown that as an important
institutional mechanism of recognising scientific contributions
eponymy is part of a stimulation system for science
development and of the specific nature of property in
science, since it gives a large and enduring institutional reward to scientists. This special nature of eponymy has been
named by Merton with the eponym Mathew's Effect, which
expresses the cumulative effect of recognising contribution to
science and acquiring scientific property. This work is
showing the possibilities of Merton's approach by analysing
the eponymy in social sciences, where it is not only a reward
to those who deserve it but also a social labeling and
punishment. Moreover the work observes the particularities
of eponymy in social sciences, the way of establishing social-
-scientific eponyms and the forms of their social reception as
well as significant differences among them in relation to the
working of Mathew's Effect.
Ključne riječi
eponymy; eponyms; sociology of science; Matthew's effect; social sciences
Hrčak ID:
18357
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.12.2006.
Posjeta: 3.098 *