This is one of the most frequently used quotations in scientific
enquiry, alluded to by researchers of all backgrounds who wish
to acknowledge their own limitations when faced with the complexity
of their subject. It is a quotation which varies enormously
in its formulation. Another version is "We see further
when standing on the shoulders of giants". But the essential
metaphor remains the same. People who are proud of their contribution
to a science are nonetheless well aware that they would have
been unable to make that contribution if it were not for those
scientists who have preceded them. It is a fine sentiment, and
knowing that it came from Newton - a scientific giant, if ever
there was one - it provides a model of humility which scientists
would do well to emulate. In this age of the television scientific
pundit, unfortunately, scientific humility is often conspicuous
by its absence.
