On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript (Paperback)

by Robert K. Merton (Author), Umberto Eco (Foreword) "Many, many thanks for sending me a copy of your presidential address ....." (more)
Key Phrases: kindle cole principle, palimpsestic syndrome, juventus mundi, Didacus Stella, Bernard of Chartres, John of Salisbury (more...)

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Product Description
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

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.

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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: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #758,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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First Sentence:
Many, many thanks for sending me a copy of your presidential address ... Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
kindle cole principle, palimpsestic syndrome, juventus mundi, dwarfs standing

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Didacus Stella, Bernard of Chartres, John of Salisbury, Alexander Ross, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, Sir William Temple, George Sarton, Tom Thumb, Ogden Nash, Bernard's Aphorism, John Hall, Robert Hooke, Sir Thomas, Azariah de Rossi, John Aubrey, Royal Society, Bernardian Aphorism, Burton's Anatomy, Godfrey Goodman, Memoirs of Scriblerus, New York, Peter of Blois, Robert Burton, Roger Bacon

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 55 books:

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations by John Bartlett on 8 pages
• The Anatomy of Melancholy (New York Review Books Classics) by Robert Burton on 6 pages
• The Battle Of The Books and Other Short Pieces by Jonathan Swift on 5 pages
• Sir William Temple by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Bar Macaulay on 5 pages
• The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Modern Library Classics) by Laurence Sterne on 4 pages

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1 book cites this book:

• The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science by Robert K. Merton in Front Matter

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Sociology of Science by Robert K. Merton

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• palimpsestic syndrome
• George Sarton
• Robert Hooke

Robert Merton by Jon Clark

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• kindle cole principle
• Didacus Stella
• Bernard of Chartres

The Sociology of Science by Robert K. Merton Discusses: palimpsestic syndrome George Sarton Robert Hooke Robert Merton by Jon Clark Discusses: kindle cole principle Didacus Stella Bernard of Chartres Loading...

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5 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 25 of 26 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 (TOP 10 REVIEWER)       '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. 1 of 1 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)    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. 5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended, but not for everyone, February 21, 2009 By  Xolotlanense - See all my reviews 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.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Every scholar should this wonderful, joyous book Published on August 6, 1999 5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Merton invites comparisons. . . with Sterne. He comes off third best. First, of course, is the master himself. Second, comes Umberto Eco for his witty, catholic and erudite Forward. Read more Published on September 26, 1998 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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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: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #758,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 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 (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

'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.

1 of 1 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)

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.

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

By	Xolotlanense - See all my reviews

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.