Scholars across a range of academic fields continue to rely on Robert K. Merton’s scientific norms to frame analyses of the privatization of research in the life sciences. I revisit constructivist criticisms of the Mertonian approach and then develop an empirically grounded interpretation of academic entrepreneurship. Focusing on the case of an early biotech entrepreneur, I investigate how scientists and university administrators managed intellectual property issues and conflicts of interest and commitment during the ‘biotech revolution’ of the late 1970s and early 1980s. This story shows that many contemporary studies — both supportive and critical of privatization — misunderstand or misrepresent the ethical dimensions of faculty participation in commerce.
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