The Comparative Study On The Viewpoints Of Scientific Authority Between Merton School And SSK

This paper analyses Merton school ,scientific knowledge sociology (SSK),and the viewpoint of scientific authority under its viewpoint of scientific knowledge.It comparatively analyses the two viewpoint of scientific knowledge in detail.Based on the scientific view and the knowledge view of Merton school and SSK, the paper theoretically compared the differences in the viewpoints of scientific knowledge and the viewpoints of scientific authority. The first part of the article has two aims: to briefly illustrate the significance of the researches on scientific authority and to briefly summarize the research angles and the research results,and defines the basic concepts in the article. The second part mainly compares the social situations in which scientific knowledge forms, the research methods and the attitude to scientific knowledge. The third part indicates different viewpoints of scientific authority through the comparison above and then compares the formation of scientific authority and the attitudes towards scientific authority. Finally, a conclusion is drawn through the comparison of views of scientific knowledge and scientific authority: the scientific authority originates from the acknowledgment and approval of scientists and scientific community. Two schools all hold the affirmative manner to scientific authorities. However, compared with Merton school, SSK pays more attention to the social factors and interaction with scientific authorities due to the different research angles and methods. The article presents us a new angle to understand science, inspires us to treat the science from the insight of common people. We should realize the social value of scientific authorities, as well as the profound social attribute hidden behind the authorities.