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18 Jul 00 - 04:49 PM (#260331) Subject: Shoulders of Giants From: Terry K Nothing to do with Oasis or whoever recently did an album of that name. I walked into my local pub this evening to be confronted with "ask Terry, he'll know" and was asked who originally referred to "standing on the shoulders of giants" (I believe as a modest explanation of someone's success?). I had to admit to the throng that the answer escaped me - in truth I can rarely remember what I was doing yesterday afternoon - but said "I know someone who will know", meaning of course the Mudcat. So, who was it and in what context? Cheers, Terry |
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18 Jul 00 - 05:05 PM (#260347) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Mbo Terry, it was Oasis who did that album. And a bloody good one at that! Anyway, the phrase comes from Sir Isaac Newton. When people asked him how he came up with the theory that the Earth revolved around the sun (the Heliocentric theory), he replied "By standing on the shoulders of giants." The giants he was referencing were Galileo & Copernicus. --Mbo |
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18 Jul 00 - 05:16 PM (#260356) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: MMario I do believe the wee lad is correct |
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18 Jul 00 - 05:24 PM (#260360) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Terry K I knew I could depend on you!!! - (and you sing and play music too!). Thanks so much, my credibility at the Cross Keys is intact, you're on a pint of Old and Filthy any time you're passing by. Cheers, Terry |
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18 Jul 00 - 05:24 PM (#260361) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: SINSULL Way to go Mbo! Impressive young man, isn't he? And in 6 minutes. |
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18 Jul 00 - 05:27 PM (#260365) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: McGrath of Harlow try here - seems Sir Isaac said it, but the phrase goes back to the 12th century.
And Sirv Isaace Newton didn't come up with the heliocentric theory, he worked out the mathematics of it. |
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18 Jul 00 - 05:31 PM (#260368) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Mbo I know, Kevin. He didn't say he discovered it all by himself, but by standing on the shoulders of the giants he was about to understand it and realize it was correct, no matter what the commonly held belief was. --Mbo |
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18 Jul 00 - 11:42 PM (#260550) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: bob jr that oasis record is rank |
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18 Jul 00 - 11:48 PM (#260556) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Mbo Bob, I don't really give a dingo's kidney. I like it. You don't have to. --Mbo |
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19 Jul 00 - 04:15 AM (#260620) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Liz the Squeak A small person standing on the shoulders of giants can see the world. A large person standing under a giant gets to see nothing but the feet of the person supposed to be guiding them. Usually as they disappear into the pub and leave the poor giant standing outside! (see the 'Giant carrying for fun and hernias' thread.....) LTS who stood on a giants shoulders once |
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19 Jul 00 - 05:56 AM (#260635) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Bagpuss Newton said it, but it was actually an insult to someone else (maybe someone out there remembers who?). Someone accused Newton of stealing his ideas, and Newton said "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". This was not only a reference to the fact that Newton thought this scientist was no intellectual giant (and he had got his ideas from much greater men), but also that this man was very short. Bagpuss |
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19 Jul 00 - 06:49 AM (#260644) Subject: RE: Shoulders of Giants From: Bagpuss The other scientist was Robert Hooke (of Hooke's Law fame?) Bagpuss |