Sibylla: or, The revival of prophecy

About this book

Sibyll​a or The Revival of Prophecy is a speculative essay that treats the future of scientific thought as a form of modern prophecy. The opening pages launch directly into a wide‑ranging meditation on whether prophecy can be regarded as a science, contrasting the fleeting predictions of biologists and historians with the emerging “prophetic function” of twentieth‑century research. M. C. A. Mace surveys the recent flood of prophetic volumes, names figures such as Haldane, Wells and Shaw, and distinguishes between “mechanists” who envision a world of perfect machinery and “vitalists” who aim to apply scientific invention to life itself. The author argues that organized, long‑term experimentation, rather than short‑term publication, will supply the data needed for genuine scientific foresight, while acknowledging that much of the current speculation remains provisional.

The work reflects the confident, discursive style of early twentieth‑century intellectuals, blending philosophical argument with contemporary scientific references, from atomic physics to industrial psychology. Its tone is erudite yet conversational, peppered with historical allusions and a touch of humor. Readers who enjoy the intersection of science, history, and philosophy, particularly those fascinated by the cultural optimism of the interwar period and the idea that progress can be mapped like a prophecy, will find Mace’s exploration both stimulating and thought‑provoking.

Opening lines

Can Prophecy be a science? Science at any rate, appears to aim at prophecy. We are often told that the test of an hypothesis lies in the events that it predicts; but it is a test that is much too rarely applied. We are surprised when Biologists apply it in a systematic way to the theory of evolution. Historians also tell us that the study of the past will help us to foresee the future, but in their practice they hardly succeed in catching up to the present. …

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