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PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
Non-anticipation
This fallacy supposes that everything worth doing or saying has already been said or done. A new idea is rejected on the grounds that if it was good, it would have already been invented. (150).
Pirie writes that all types of progress has been made scientifically and socially, therefore this fallacy is unwarranted. (150). It cannot be presumed that our ancestors would have had all the ideas to progress. (150). The author points out that past generations did not know about the dangers of tobacco, as we do today. It would be fallacious to assume tobacco consumption was not harmful because past generations did not see it as such. (150).
My examples:
John Mclaughlin/Mahavishnu Orchestra and the late Allan Holdsworth, wrote and performed all the good jazz rock fusion in the 1970's and 1980's; therefore, no one should bother trying to write and perform that type of music in the 21st century. It would not be as good.
The great classical music was composed in the 18th century to early 20th century; therefore, no one should bother writing classical music today, it is dead. New classical music would not be as good.
The non-anticipation presents fallacy (fallacies) of presumption, assumption and lazy intellectual thinking.
Past documented, knowledge is available to the modern mind. Classical music and jazz rock fusion music could progress, at least in some ways, when past knowledge is intelligently combined with new ideas.
When considering bible doctrine and theology, it must be admitted that times have progressed since biblical eras. But God, as infinite and eternal, does not change in essence and nature. God's moral code for humanity, does not change. There is a progression from old covenant to new covenant, from Testament to Testament. But established New Testament doctrine and theology, understood in textual context, does not change, although it needs to be applied in modern contexts.
