[89u034q5t]

What if sometimes reinventing the wheel is in fact the efficient procedure and "humility" has nothing to do with it? Simultaneous discoveries and rediscoveries are something rather common. Rather than getting familiarized with some literature and, consequently, getting also tangled with the problems peculiar to how the literature has developed, maybe a fresh start from a different approach is sometimes preferable.

What specific literature are you referring to?

[philipov]

Yes, for example, it took Lagrange reinventing classical mechanics using the principle of least action to put physics in a spot where quantum mechanics and general relativity could be seen.

[Koshkin]

To be fair, both quantum mechanics and general relativity were first "seen" without the aid of the Lagrangian. (Not to dismiss its role in later developments.)