Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

"If I seem to be seeing further than anyone else it is because I am standing on the shoulders of giants"

Sir Issac Newton's comment, made in a letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke in February 1676, is often taken to imply that Newton's own scientific and mathematical breakthroughs had been made possible by building on the contributions of others that had gone before him. But is this what he meant?

Robert Hooke is not as well known as Newton yet his contribution to science was also immense. It was a golden age for British science and the rivalry between the two men possibly helped spur each of them to greater achievements.

Hooke was a short man, with a slight stoop and Newton was known to be petty and vindictive. There was a history of animosity as well as rivalry between the two scientists—each one claiming that they had 'discovered' the inverse square law (and with it, the key to impressing ladies up and down the country, no doubt).

Could it be then, that Newton's words were in fact a barbed comment mocking Hooke's stature and also implying that he had actually not contributed—that he was neither literally nor metaphorically a giant?

Is Hooke now looking down from the heavens smarting that it is Newton's image that looks down on the lobby of the British Library and not his own? Can he be happy with his contribution knowing that his rival's was better received? Is he angry that we remember him as a short man? Who knows? I guess it depends on your own story and your own particular set of beliefs. But it doesn't matter. They are both now dead.