Anyone who has opened at least once Google Scholar you will have come across that evocative phrase under the search bar: “stand on the shoulders of giants”. It is not just a slogan, it is a tribute to centuries of scientific and humanistic thought, a respect for the knowledge passed down from previous generations to posterity as well as an invitation to recognize that every discovery arises from what came before.
The origin of this expression dates back to Isaac Newton, who in 1675 wrote a famous letter to his colleague Robert Hookegreat scientific mind of the seventeenth century, to whom he said: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”, (if I have seen further, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants).
With this one metaphorNewton wanted to recognize that his progress in physics and astronomy was not the fruit of his isolated genius, but rather the result of a path built on the discoveries of the great scholars who preceded him, including Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler. The phrase conveys the idea perfectly progress cumulative that defines the history of knowledge: each generation of thinkers can look further because it rises thanks to the contributions of its predecessors.
In reality, Newton was not the first to use this expression, which seems to have roots medieval attributable to the 12th century philosopher Bernard of Chartresas reported by John of Salisbury in the Metalogicon (1159): “He said that we are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see further not because of our stature, but because we are lifted up by their greatness.” With the term “giants”, Bernard was referring to ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, whose wisdom had laid the foundations of Western thought. The “dwarfs” were the contemporary scholars of the time, who, despite using different and sometimes limited means, could achieve great results thanks to the foundations already built in the past. With this metaphor, therefore, we want to convey intellectual humility And transmission of knowledgewhich spans the centuries to flourish inEnlightenment.
Given its importance, the expression was taken up in the following centuries by numerous thinkers and institutions, such as the NASA or Stephen Hawkingwho in his book “On the Shoulders of Giants” (2002), collected the fundamental texts of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Einstein, defining them “the pillars on which modern science stands”. Even in pop culture this metaphor has left its mark, as Oasis who used it for the title of their album Standing on the “Shoulder of Giants (2000)”, or with British currency from 2 pounds where these words are engraved along the edge.
Finally, we have Google Scholar; When Google’s academic engine launched in 2004, the developers decided to adopt Newton’s phrase as their official motto. Anyone who has to do research and consult the knowledge accumulated over centuries of publications, theses and scientific articles must inevitably stand “on the shoulders of the giants” who have managed to collect them. In other words, every new discovery arises from a mix of previous quotes, ideas and references, and Google Scholar exists precisely to make access to this information more immediate.
With this image we reflect both on the nature of the modern scientific method and on the awareness that knowledge never belongs to a single individual, as its transmission is essential for the progress of society. “Climb on the shoulders of giants” is therefore not just a motto, but an ethical reminder: to recognize the value of those who came before us, in order to be able to look even further.
In an era that prizes speed and originality, these words remind us that progress is never a solitary act and that every discovery, every text, every intuition is based on an invisible chain of contributions that precede it.
