9. In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field.

The statement of whether the contribution is influenced by previous achievements can be discussed critically for the difference definition of “field”. Some people who regard field as a large scope of the subject in which no one can make a contribution without the influence of previous achievement. If we define “field” as a narrow scope, it is obvious that the beginners of these kind of filed have independently made great contributions without any existed achievements to refer to.

At the first place, within a larger scope of the definition of “field”, an unavoidable fact is that any contribution bases on the previous results and experience. It is impossible for a person to make any contribution bases on nothing. In the art filed, learning and imitating existing masterpieces are the most fundamental step for a beginner while those masterpieces have inspired many generations. For example, Beethoven has set up a new type of music-Romantic music, which is more expressive and imaginative, has a close relation with and greatly influenced by the previous development of classical music. In the science field, the breakthrough and new ideas come from the accumulation of previous experiences and basic principles. With the basic principles and formulae of quantum mechanics, many findings and creations of modern physics are made. Therefore, the influence of previous achievements cannot be neglected when a new achievement is born.

Moreover, within a narrow scope of “field”, the contribution of beginners is not influenced by the achievements in this field rather than in another field because beginners always create new fields in which there is no findings or accumulations. For the above two examples, while the contribution of Beethoven is bases on the previous achievement in the scope of “music”, as a beginner, there is no basis for him in the scope of “Romantic music”. For the same reason, the beginners of particle physics also do not have any knowledge about the new field they are creating. Furthermore, the influence of previous work is also a kind of restriction for beginners of a new field, even though it sometimes can provide some inspiration. To some extent, the absence of existing principles and masterpieces precipitates the creation of these beginners.

Another issue should be considered is the attitude one should have towards the previous achievements in his or her field. On the one hand, there is no denying that past work in a field has an positive effect on the current tasks. On the other hand, these achievements are possible to restrain our modes of thinking and creating. What one has to do is to find a balance point at which one can take the greatest advantage of previous work.

In conclusion, the different definition leads to different results about the relationship of previous and current achievements in a field. The things we should consider is how to be creative under the influence of previous work.