A Science enthusiast, Papakura High school student, Catherine Armstrong quoted Sir Isaac Newton during her presentation. I wanted to get a little more background on the quote and if you too are interested please click the read more.
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.
Just in case you were wondering ....