The Shoulders of Giants

“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton

There seems to be a slight increase on the internet of the use of this quote from Issac Newton. A Christian physicist and mathematician, he’s considered to be among the fathers of modern science. What Newton meant was that if he had accomplished any great things, it was built on the foundation of the works of others who came before him, whom he considered greater than he. He was making the case that new breakthroughs and revolutionary thoughts are made by building on the knowledge that others have previously gained.

One of the contemporary uses of the phrase includes people acknowledging that advances in production, technology and medicine have come ‘on the shoulders of giants’, that is, on the work of noteworthy scientists, technologists and industrialists. Another use is individuals recognizing that their successes were achieved by building on the knowledge, attitudes and accomplishments of those who came before them. Be it family, friends, or others sharing their knowledge and experiences, they somehow help the person to ‘see farther’.

What I appreciate about this trend is that it requires a degree of humility that I see generally lacking in our culture today. It also acknowledges that those who came before us have contributed to the successes and advancements that we have today. This  trend is in spite of the modern cultural proclivity to suggest that previous generations offer nothing to the present or future and that the youth of today have all the knowledge and virtue that is needed to build a successful society. This display of arrogance and lack of gratitude is deeply disturbing.

Let this later tendency be illustrated by a conversation I had with a young Masters graduate who came to work in my organization shortly before I retired. We were discussing a mentoring program that focused on knowledge transfer from older, more experienced employees to younger, less experienced ones. This person was quite adamant that there would be no need for that, because “the younger people coming in are smarter, will create better processes and have more innovative ideas.” Reality appeared quickly and upset that idea. I was both amused and dismayed when I saw this person become disenchanted so quickly when they realized that they could offer very little to the  organization with the knowledge and experience they had.

Hopefully I’ll continue to see more acknowledgement and appreciation of the contributions of those who have come before us. It will also be nice to see a bit more humility. Perhaps this is a sign that we’re on the path of seeing needed growth of real gratitude and humility in our world.

Is there a lack of these basic traits of gratitude and humility in your experience? Or am I just a jaded old guy? Is there reason for optimism? What do you think?

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