The big issue I have with the "solitary genius" theory is that ideas do not occur in a vacuum Isaac Newton who several people in this thread have mentioned went

The big issue I have with the "solitary genius" theory is that ideas do not occur in a vacuum Isaac Newton who several people in this thread have mentioned went to great lengths himself to dispel this myth. One of his most famous quotes is: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Scientific progress is incremental it builds on the work and ideas that have come before.