Is the Merton Concept of Scientific Ethos Relevant Today: The Case of Post-Soviet Science

The history of post-Soviet science gives us a lot of important information for thinking about how vital the concept of the value framework of science, described by R. Merton. In a sense, the imperatives of scientific ethos, described by Merton, such as communism or unselfishness, coincided with the officially declared model of Soviet science. On the other hand, a rapid transition to market relations, a radical transformation of the economy, social life, interpersonal relations could not but affect the life of science. Hence the question: how have people of science changed, their professional and interpersonal relationships, ideas about the ideal structure of science as a social institution? Our report will be devoted to the search for a response to it. An empirical basis for analysis will be the results of sociological monitoring of academic and university science in Siberia, which has been held since 1992. The hypothesis of our study is that the traditional professional values of science described by R. Merton in the form of ethical categories are relevant for science in Russia and today. Another thing is that under the influence of external conditions they have changed significantly, being an important element of the mentality of a professional scientist. The report will also place great emphasis on comparative analysis (in the context of Merton's concept) the professional values of different generations of Russian scientists.