In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field.Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement

I can agree up to the certain point with claim that it is impossible to contribute to the field not being influenced by predecessors and consider that this tendency is becoming more and more applicable to our contemporaneity.

Doubtless, all scientific papers of our time are supposed to have reference or literature part, where the author notes all past achievements that were used and considered. Modern scientists in any field always cite and quote others, and refer to the works either of their peers or forerunners. Otherwise, they may be accused of plagiarism and cheating.

To illustrate this point one may remember Italian saying “there is nothing new which would not have happened before”. This leads us to believe that everything has been found out and nothing absolutely new can be achieved.

Confucius well-known proverb rightfully corroborates this: “The young will surpass the old, the students will surpass the teachers and as in the Yangtze River the waves behind drive on those before”. In view of these words, it is quite likely to consider that even at Confucius times idea that student should refer to his or her gurus or advisors and, surely, is effected by them. For example, the impact of Socrates on Plato, Aristotle and other philosophers cannot be underestimated: in many Plato’s famous dialogues he reproduced the conversation between him and Socrates, consequently, many of Socrates thoughts would remain unknown if not for his followers.

However, it cannot be denied that some fields, some theories and some movements had their first founder as “miracles do not come from the blue”. Nonetheless, I can reasonably assume that there existed even forefathers of founders. To proof this one may direct to the most ancient manuscripts and documents that allude at least to Bible, Homer or Aesop.

What conclusions can be drawn from all this? Generally, I agree that it’s almost impossible to discover something absolutely new, but “never say never”, this is too categorical, and it may happen that some thought may appear only at once and at one mind, it would be unfair not to mention that apple felled on Newton’s head and not on someone else’s.