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The Kelvin dictum and social science: An excursion into the history of an idea
Author(s) -
Merton Robert K.,
Sills David L.,
Stigler Stephen M.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6696(198410)20:4<319::aid-jhbs2300200402>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - excursion , impromptu , scholarship , sociology , epistemology , philosophy , political science , law , computer science , programming language
Lord Kelvin's dictum on the importance of measurement in science is frequently quoted (and more frequently misquoted). One version is to be found on the facade of the University of Chicago's Social Science Research Building. An impromptu excursion into the history and uses of this inscription sheds light on the roles of measurement and quotation in scholarship.