• DOI:10.2307/2084615
• Corpus ID: 8005707

The unanticipated consequences of purposive social action

@article{Merton1936TheUC,
  title={The unanticipated consequences of purposive social action},
  author={R. Merton},
  journal={American Sociological Review},
  year={1936},
  volume={1},
  pages={894-904}
}

• R. Merton
• Published 1 December 1936
• Philosophy
• American Sociological Review

I N SOME ONE of its numerous forms, the problem of the unanticipated consequences of purposive action has been treated by virtually every substantial contributor to the long history of social thought.' The diversity of context' and variety of terms3 by which this problem has been known, however, have tended to obscure the definite continuity in its consideration. In fact, this diversity of context-ranging from theology to technology-has been so pronounced that not only has the substantial identity of the problem been overlooked, but no systematic, scientific analysis of it has as yet been effected. The failure to subject this problem to such thorough-going investigation has perhaps been due in part to its having been linked historically with transcendental and ethical considerations. Obviously, the ready solution provided by ascribing uncontemplated consequences of action to the inscrutable will of God or Providence or Fate precludes, in the mind of the believer, any need for scientific analysis. Whatever the actual reasons, the fact remains that though the process has been widely recognized and its importance equally appreciated, it still awaits a systematic treatment. Although the phrase, unanticipated consequences of purposive social action, is in a measure self-explanatory, the setting of the prob-