On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript [Paperback]

Robert K. Merton (Author), Umberto Eco (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226520862 | ISBN-13: 978-0226520865 | Publication Date: May 15, 1993

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 donmanship: 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

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert K. Merton is University Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, Foundation Scholar of the Russell Sage Foundation, and a MacArthur Prize Fellow. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, he has received numerous honors and prizes for his work in both science and the humanities. His many books include the classic Social Theory and Social Structure, the Sociology of Science, Sociological Ambivalence, and Science, Technology, and Society in Seventeenth-Century England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press (May 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226520862
• ISBN-13: 978-0226520865
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,018,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Academia Transfixed, May 20, 2002

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript (Paperback)

'On the Shoulders of Giants' (which shall hereafter be referred to as OTSOG) is the quintessential study of the nature of academicism. It is thinly disguised as a dissertation into the origin (and originality) of Newton's famous aphorism 'If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' However, once the reader finds himself confronted by what might or might not be an attack on Richard Burton (the one that wrote 'The Anatomy of Melancholy'), suspicions grow, and in short order one begins to understand that a leg or two is being pulled.

Of course, it does not end there. Displaying the kind of dazzling scholarship that most academics can only aspire to, Merton zigzags across the intellectual horizon on a quest for the lighter side of truth. In doing so, he exposes many of the pretensions of scholarly work, plagiarism and specious logic. Leaving no stone unturned, we are as likely to find ourselves in pursuit of Tristram Shandy as we are to be wandering through the transept of Chartres Cathedral. All in a mad search to uncover who really used OTSOG first.

It needs to be said that Merton is, on his own, an extremely respected sociologist, one who often has used the scientific and academic world as the focus of his remarkable eye. OTSOG sets out to make points by mimicking its subjects rather than lecturing about them. Whimsical and witty, it still touches on serious issues while exposing a great deal of fascinating minutia. Certainly it is a one of a kind work that enjoys a large cult following among those who are reluctant to take themselves seriously. Look out for Umberto Eco's foreword and Merton's riposte-face as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended, but not for everyone, February 21, 2009

By 

Xolotlanense - See all my reviews

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This review is from: On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript (Hardcover)

The subtitle is the key: this is very shandean. If you enjoyed Tristram Shandy, you'll probably enjoy OTSOG too. Merton tirelessly (but not tiresomely) tracks down the origin of a famous aphorism through the labyrinthine ways of countless erudite digressions. If you have the kind of crooked mind that appreciates this kind of thing, you'll find the book entertaining as well as instructive. If you gave up on Tristram Shandy after the first few pages, thinking "What th' ?!" OTSOG is almost certainly not for you. It's rather like cilantro, which people either love or hate.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING, September 11, 2007

By 

Nora Lukan "Nora Lukan" (Austria) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript (Paperback)

NORA LUKAN: An amazing insight into academicism that sheds light on the scholarships, for example. The book also takes surprising twists that make this a must read. It's an intellectual rollercoaster ride that might change your life in a couple of ways.