ABSTRACT
The subtitle of this chapter is wilfully plagiaristic, but well suited to the occasion. A few months ago in New York, I invited a group of distinguished social scientists to a reception held in honor of Professor Tullio Tentori of the University of Rome, and, of course, I made sure that my mentor Robert Merton was invited. He promised to come, but at the last minute excused himself. A few days later I received a note of apology in which Merton explained his absence: he had to meet a deadline for an essay on the great historian of science George Sarton, his own mentor at Harvard several decades ago.
