The giant without a name

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The giant without a name

Published: 17 Jul. 2025, 00:06 Updated: 17 Jul. 2025, 14:19

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Lee Woo Young

The author is an HCMC distinguished professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.

The American mathematician Paul Halmos (1916–2006) once worked on a mathematical problem with a friend. The friend had only offered a few casual remarks, and Halmos eventually solved the problem himself. He believed the friend’s input was too minimal to warrant coauthorship and published the paper under his own name.

Years later, Halmos came to regret that decision. He realized that a flash of insight could originate from a single word or thought shared in passing. He later called the exclusion of his friend the greatest mistake of his life. Today, many mathematics journals list co-authors alphabetically, a custom born of similar reflections.

Scientific achievement is rarely solitary. There is almost always an unnamed companion walking alongside the discoverer. As Halmos came to understand, it is easy to overlook those quiet contributions. A look back at the history of heliocentrism reveals how progress doesn't occur in isolation.

One of the greatest obstacles to the heliocentric theory was the question of how a heavy Earth could move on its own. For centuries, people believed the heavens consisted of nested “celestial spheres” — transparent, solid shells that carried the planets across the sky.

Hungarian-born U.S. mathematician Paul Halmos [WIKIPEDIA]

That belief began to shift with an experiment in 1600 by English physicist William Gilbert (1544–1603). He observed that a spherical magnet placed in a magnetic field would rotate on its own. From this, he proposed that Earth itself was a giant magnet. He argued that such a mechanism eliminated the need for celestial spheres.

Though largely forgotten today, Gilbert’s ideas deeply influenced Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler. He was a crucial guide in the birth of heliocentrism — an unnamed giant on whose shoulders others stood.

Isaac Newton famously said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” What often goes unacknowledged is that some of those giants remain nameless. Their contributions are overlooked until it is too late. This is why humility is essential in science.

In truth, the lesson extends beyond science. Every achievement in life — no matter how personal it may seem — is built upon the efforts of others. When applause comes, we should not lift our chins proudly but bow our heads in humility.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.