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On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript
With playfulness and a large dose of wit, Robert Merton traces the origin of Newton's aphorism, "If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Using as a model the discursive and digressive style of Sterne's Tristram Shandy , Merton presents a whimsical yet scholarly work which deals with the questions of creativity, tradition, plagiarism, the transmission of knowledge, and the concept of progress.
"This book is the delightful apotheosis of Merton parodies scholarliness while being faultlessly scholarly; he scourges pedantry while brandishing his own abstruse learning on every page. The most recondite and obscure scholarly squabbles are transmuted into the material of comedy as the ostensible subject is shouldered to one side by yet another hobby horse from Merton's densely populated stable. He has created a jeu d'esprit which is profoundly suggestive both in detail and as a whole."—Sean French, Times Literary Supplement
"This book is the delightful apotheosis of Merton parodies scholarliness while being faultlessly scholarly; he scourges pedantry while brandishing his own abstruse learning on every page. The most recondite and obscure scholarly squabbles are transmuted into the material of comedy as the ostensible subject is shouldered to one side by yet another hobby horse from Merton's densely populated stable. He has created a jeu d'esprit which is profoundly suggestive both in detail and as a whole."—Sean French, Times Literary Supplement
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 11, 2022
This was freaking incomprehensible- Merton goes on tangent after tangent, and half the time he decides he doesn’t even want to find a source? And so he will literally just write, “i didn’t want to check my library”
Merton… if I ever see u, I’ll beat ur ass
Merton… if I ever see u, I’ll beat ur ass
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March 9, 2017There are some books that I just don't get, and this was one of them.
Other reviewers said reading this made them feel like they were left out of one big inside joke between academics--I'd say that's an apt description.
Other reviewers said reading this made them feel like they were left out of one big inside joke between academics--I'd say that's an apt description.
October 20, 2022
What is true of every book is especially so in the case of Robert K. Merton’s On the Shoulders of Giants. Or, to quote its complete title On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript. The Post-Italianate Edition, with a foreword by Umberto Eco, an Afterword by Denis Donoghue, and a Preface and Postface by the Author. Or, to use the acronym Merton invents for it, OTSOG. I’ve cited all three variants to convey a flavor of what you’ll find in this book. Some will savor the humor, while others will be annoyed by what strikes them as intellectual snobbery. Hence the evocation of the truth universally acknowledged about books in general: you’ll either enjoy it or you won’t. In the case of this book, you’ll either hate it or think it’s one of the best books you’ve ever read. No moral superiority is ascribed to those who belong to either group.
You’ll know after a few pages to which group you belong. Well, a few pages of Merton. My copy begins with a foreword by Umberto Eco, a translation of his foreword to the Italian edition. It’s vintage Eco, but I think I’d have enjoyed it more if it had appeared as an afterword (perhaps in place of that by Denis Donoghue, which in its attempt to render homage both to Merton’s thesis and style, didn’t quite rise to the level of Merton himself).
If you find yourself smiling, even laughing, in Merton’s first few pages and continue to read the entire book, you’ll find both a spoof of scholarship and a serious example of indefatigable scholarly sleuthing. In its narrowest sense, it investigates the antecedents of the phrase referred to in the title, usually attributed to Isaac Newton, and its Wirkungsgeschichte. However, it soon becomes clear that there is a broader issue, the relative value of ancient and modern learning.
Along the way, the reader is introduced to the Parvus-complex, the palimpsestic syndrome, and ghost-writing in reverse (as well as a closely-related phenomenon, anticipatory plagiarism).
Merton characterizes the whole thing as “Shandean” for his indulgence in digression, magnificently exemplified by Lawrence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. But Merton’s employment of Shandyism is not only for comic effect. Instead, it pulls back the curtain to show that scholarly inquiry often follows a zig-zag course rarely visible when the results are published. So for anyone with academic interests, this book is more than entertaining: it’s also a chance to see “how to scholar.” Compared with an ordinary scholarly tome, the effect is like the difference between dining in a fine restaurant and being invited to stand at the elbow of a master chef as he creates what is offered.
Merton spent his life investigating the social dimension of knowledge production (“science”). This book is the fruit of that career. It’s rich in allusion and citation (just don’t test me on all this). Did I mention that it’s entertaining? I even guffawed while reading the index.
You’ll know after a few pages to which group you belong. Well, a few pages of Merton. My copy begins with a foreword by Umberto Eco, a translation of his foreword to the Italian edition. It’s vintage Eco, but I think I’d have enjoyed it more if it had appeared as an afterword (perhaps in place of that by Denis Donoghue, which in its attempt to render homage both to Merton’s thesis and style, didn’t quite rise to the level of Merton himself).
If you find yourself smiling, even laughing, in Merton’s first few pages and continue to read the entire book, you’ll find both a spoof of scholarship and a serious example of indefatigable scholarly sleuthing. In its narrowest sense, it investigates the antecedents of the phrase referred to in the title, usually attributed to Isaac Newton, and its Wirkungsgeschichte. However, it soon becomes clear that there is a broader issue, the relative value of ancient and modern learning.
Along the way, the reader is introduced to the Parvus-complex, the palimpsestic syndrome, and ghost-writing in reverse (as well as a closely-related phenomenon, anticipatory plagiarism).
Merton characterizes the whole thing as “Shandean” for his indulgence in digression, magnificently exemplified by Lawrence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. But Merton’s employment of Shandyism is not only for comic effect. Instead, it pulls back the curtain to show that scholarly inquiry often follows a zig-zag course rarely visible when the results are published. So for anyone with academic interests, this book is more than entertaining: it’s also a chance to see “how to scholar.” Compared with an ordinary scholarly tome, the effect is like the difference between dining in a fine restaurant and being invited to stand at the elbow of a master chef as he creates what is offered.
Merton spent his life investigating the social dimension of knowledge production (“science”). This book is the fruit of that career. It’s rich in allusion and citation (just don’t test me on all this). Did I mention that it’s entertaining? I even guffawed while reading the index.
June 15, 2025
A brilliant skewering of shoddy scholarship. Merton traces the origins of an aphorism often credited to Isaac Newton and brilliantly uncovers a history of misattributions, misquotations,and other scholarly laziness stretching back to the 12th century. A masterpiece of pedantry, Merton goes so far as to examine 12th century artistic representations of dwarves positioned on the shoulders of giants (he finds 4 examples!) and whether they sit or stand.
August 17, 2024
A romp through the ages with an academic tracking the origins of the statement about seeing farther by standing on the shoulders of giants; with many asides, plus footnotes taking up about a quarter of the book except they are in small print. Reminiscent of Sterne's Tristram Shandy but better. Maybe add a star if you are a writer or academic.
November 27, 2015
This is a highbrow, self-satisfied book contemplating the origins of the phrase "on the shoulders of giants." For some reason, Tristram Shandy comes up a lot, and the author is madly in love with the constant, deliberate, comic pointlessness of that classic, and tries to apply it to his quest. An extremely bright, classically educated friend recommended it to me, so I think it must be good. Not sure I see the point, though.
March 2, 2015
This is one of Christopher Hitchens books on his list of recommended books. I made it my goal to read them all. Fortunately Ihave read most. I felt this one was a great inside joke amongst literary elites.
I dont measure up.
I dont measure up.
Read
July 29, 2012Signed by Robert Merton
August 13, 2013
Learned, but also witty, and a parody of scholarly works. Written in a Shandean style with a lot of asides.
Want to read
January 25, 2016TED (language) recommended
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews