ANTICIPATION, a term used by certain writers, and particularly by Lord Bacon, as nearly synonimous with hypothesis in philosophy. (See Hypothesis.) The invention of hypothesis, or suppositions, possessed of a tolerable degree of plausibility, was almost the only method of philosophising employed by the sages of an tiquity. It was one of the chief objects which Bacon had in view, in his immortal work, the Novum Orga to expose the futility of this practice, and to sub stitute a better method in its stead. The ancient and false mode of philosophising, he calls the anticipation of nature, (anticipationes naturx ;) the new and better method which he recommends, lie calls the interpreta tion of nature, (interpretatio Datum.) Nov. Org. 1. i. 26.
Anticipations, says Bacon, are often better suited to procure our assent, than just interpretations; because they are inferred from a few particulars, and those of the most familiar occurrence ; they therefore immedi ately conquer the understanding, and possess the ima gination : " (Intellectum statim perstringunt et phunta sictin implent.) Interpretations, on the contrary, as they are collected from objects which arc widely dispersed, and exceedingly different from each other, cannot sud denly strike the understanding ; and, from the air of mystery which they bear, are rather forbidding than in viting to the opinion." lb. 1. 28.
This excellent philosopher having thus pointed out the temptation which we are always under to indulge in anticipation, is at great pains to prove, that no progress in science can ever be made by its means. " Aron si omnia onznium .etatuin ingenia coierint, et laborer contu lerint et transnziserint, progressus magnus fieri poterit in. scientiis per anticipationes : quia errores radicales, et in prima digestione mentis, ab excellentid functionzim et re inediorum sequentium non curantur." 1. 30. He admits, however, that in certain branches of knowledge, which rest chiefly on opinion, anticipation may have its use, as well as the ancient dialectic ; in those, namely, where it is the object not to examine things, but to secure the assent. (Quando opus est assensum subjugare non res.) I. 29.
Even in the science of nature, we are of opinion, that anticipation is not entirely useless, if it be carefully dis tinguished from the true interpretation of phenomena. Several instances might be mentioned, of the conjec tures of ingenious men respecting the discoveries of fu ture ages, having been completely verified ; and as such conjectures may prompt inquiry, and suggest the proper mode of investigation, for conducting to the truth, they ought not to be discouraged entirely, pro vided they be not mistaken for actual knowledge. The uncertain twinkling of the stars may be of some use, when we are destitute of the light of the sun.
One of the most striking examples of successful anti cipation, was furnished by Newton, respecting the com bustibility of the diamond. This immortal philosopher having found, that media, which are inflammable, have a remarkably high refractive power, and observing that the diamond refracted much more than in proportion to its density, was led to conjecture, that the diamond was an inflammable substance ; a supposition which has been completely confirmed by modern experiments : for, by the application of intense heat, the diamond may be entirely consumed, and converted into carbonic acid gas. A similar conjecture was made by Newton re
specting water, which also refracts more than in the proportion of its density; and which was therefore sup posed by this philosopher to contain some inflammable ingredient. This conjecture also, though apparently so repugnant to the other properties of this fluid, has been completely confirmed by the discoveries of mo dern chemistry ; so that Newton has justly acquired the title of the shrewdest guesser in the world.
Another successful anticipation of Newton, though less striking than those just mentioned, seems descry ing of notice. When he completed his first reflecting telescope, of which he made a present to the Royal So ciety, he endeavoured, but in vain, to communicate to the speculum, a parabolical instead of a spherical fi gure. He, however, declared his conviction, that sonic future artist would be able to surmount this difficulty, by mechanical devices ; and his prediction is now very completely fulfilled.
To mention the anticipations of Swift in natural phi losophy, next in order to those of .'Vewton, may appear somewhat ridiculous ; yet it is certain, that the inven tion of the reflecting telescope, and its effects in in creasing our knowledge of the fixed stars, are very dis tinctly anticipated in the following passage of that fa cetious author : " Voyage to Laputa."—" They spend the greatest part of their lives in observing the celes tial bodies, which they do by the assistance of glasses, far excelling ours in goodness. For, although their largest telescopes do not exceed three feet, they mag nify much more than those of a hundred with us, and slim the stars with greater clearness. This advantage hash enabled them to extend their discoveries much farther than our astronomers in Europe ; for they have made a catalogue of 10,000 fixed stars ; whereas the largest of ours do not contain above one-third part of that number." On another occasion, however, Swift displays less philosophical sagacity, when he anticipates the downfal of the Newtonian system of attraction : and we shall conclude with this example of unsuccessful anticipa tion, in order that our readers may not think us too partial to this rather hazardous practice. " I then de sired the governor to call up Descartes and Gassendi, with whom I prevailed to explain their systems to Aris totle. This great philosopher freely acknowledged his own mistakes in natural philosophy, because lie proceed ed in many things upon conjecture, as all men must do; and lie found that Gassendi, who had made the doctrine of Epicurus as palatable as he could, and the vortices of Descartes, were equally to be exploded. He pre dieted the same fate to attraction, whereof the present learned are such zealous assertors." (in)