Merton Thesis

The Merton thesis was developed in 1938 by the American sociologist Robert King Merton in his book Science, Technology and Society in 17th- Century England. Similar to Max Weber's famous thesis on the relationship between the Protestant ethic and the emergence of the capitalist economic order Merton assumed that between the Protestant Puritanism and Pietism on the one hand and the experimental science of the early modern period, on the other hand was a positive correlation. In later publications Merton developed his thesis on. It employs scientists to the present day.

The thesis

The Merton thesis consists of two separate parts. First, the theory is a theory that changes in the natural sciences are caused by the accumulation of observations as well as from improved experimental techniques and methodological approaches. Secondly, the thesis argues that the popularity of science in England in the 17th century and the affiliation of the members of the Royal Society at certain churches - most English scientists of the time were Puritans and other Protestants - by a correlation between Protestant beliefs and behaviors and the principles of the natural sciences can be explained. According to Merton's view of English Puritanism and German Pietism were the responsible for the scientific revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries. Merton explained this relationship as a significant synergy between the ascetic values ​​of Protestantism and those of modern science. Protestantism had encouraged scientific research, in that he had assigned her the task to discover God at work in the world. He had provided a religious justification for the scientific research.

Criticism and confirmation

Regarding the first part of the thesis has been criticized, they do not take into account the role that they played the mathematics and the philosophy of materialism in the scientific revolution to a sufficient extent. For the second part of Merton's thesis, the difficulty has been criticized that arises in the definition, which the Protestant "right type " is, without arbitrary distinctions need to be introduced. It was also criticized that the thesis can not explain why non- Protestants science operated (eg Nicolaus Copernicus, Leonardo da Vinci, René Descartes or Galileo Galilei), and vice versa, which is why there are Protestants of the "right type," the have no interest in science. Merton replied to this criticism that the Puritan ethic was not necessary for the development of natural science, this got easier. Merton also pointed out that once the science was recognized as a legitimate institution, they have not used the religion and eventually became a counter-force, which led to the weakening of religious consciousness. Nevertheless, in the early days was the religion of one of the main reasons for the emergence of the scientific revolution.

Although the Merton thesis does not explain all the causes of this revolution, but it highlights how the group of scientists in England was structured, and identifies possible reasons why this country was one of the main driving forces of the scientific revolution.

That religious beliefs and religiously motivated behaviors exerted a strong influence on many areas of government and society after the end of the 18th century, was in 1958 a wide-ranging of the American sociologist Gerhard Lenski and his team empirical investigation in Greater Detroit (U.S. state Michigan). It showed, among other findings, significant differences between Catholics and Protestants on the one hand and Jews on the other hand with regard to the attitude to economic life and the natural sciences. Lenski found the key points of the theses of Max Weber confirmed, except that he could not demonstrate any ascetic train in the economic behavior of Protestants. Before Weber did John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Church, already observed in 1790 that " industry and frugality " ( " diligence and frugality "), brought two norms of behavior, shared the Methodists with other Protestant denominations as an unintended side effect these people prosperity have. The study showed that Protestants and the small minority of Jews a high degree of " intellectual autonomy" possessed ( "intellectual autonomy "), which is a favorable condition for a science-related career. In contrast, Catholics have an intellectual orientation that " obedience " ( "obedience " ) and approval of the " revealed truths " of the Church teaching higher evaluated as intellectual autonomy, which would be harmful for a scientific professional career. Investigations of Catholic sociologists had come to the same research results. Lenski these differences led to the Reformation and the Catholic response back to it. The Reformation was the growth of intellectual autonomy promoted by Protestants, especially in Anabaptists, Puritans, Pietists, Methodists, Presbyterians and English. While there have also intellectual autonomy given in medieval Catholicism, for example, in men as Erasmus of Rotterdam. After the Reformation, but the Catholic Church leaders have this property are increasingly equated with Protestantism and heresy. Instead, the Catholic Church would have demanded of its members obedience to the Church teaching. These differences between Protestants and Catholics had remained in effect until the present. Why can not the Catholic countries such as France, Italy, Argentina, Brazil and Chile, which were indeed all industrialized in fairly high degree, are counted among the leading countries in technology and the natural sciences. Brazilian Catholic sociologists have called recently when comparing their country with the United States the religious heritage of Brazil as the main reason for the different levels of development of the two countries.

This view is supported by the number of Nobel Prize winners in the natural sciences and economics subjects. Until October 10, 2010 the United States had produced 305 of these winners, but all Latin American countries together only six ( three Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela each one). Since about 1620, the vast majority of pioneering the world were made changing scientific discoveries and technological inventions in the Protestant dominated countries UK, Germany and the United States, from the kepler between and Newtonian laws of evolution and relativity theory to modern astronomy ( Edwin P. Hubble ) and genetics ( Francis Crick, James D. Watson); of the steam engine, the electric generator and motor, the automobile up to computer and internet.

These facts are further evidence of the correctness of the Merton thesis. As an " accidental by-product " had the religious beliefs and practices of Protestants a decisive influence on the emergence and development of scientific perspectives until at least the mid 20th century and probably beyond.