Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants (Latin: nanos gigantum humeris insidentes) is a Western metaphor meaning "One who develops future intellectual pursuits by understanding the research and works created by notable thinkers of the past"(from wiki). A Dwarf standing on the shoulder of a giant could have a better foresight and guide the giant towards the light. This philosophy has one drawback. Though the dwarf could see the direction of light, it forgot to examine what's beneath his foot. The road to light may not be straight and it may have several obstacles. One miss foot could end the journey of both. So it is important that sometimes the dwarf has to come down and examine the local path.
"The scientist has a lot of experience with ignorance and doubt and uncertainty, and this experience is of very great importance, I think. When a scientist doesn't know the answer to a problem, he is ignorant. When he has a hunch as to what the result is, he is uncertain. And when he is pretty darn sure of what the result is going to be, he is still in some doubt. We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt. Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of certainty - some most unsure, some nearly sure, but none absolutely certain."-Feynman
It's good to read and understand the works of the intellectuals of the past, but we don't have to take anything for granted. This is the philosophy of ignorance. In another words "Empty your cup".
