CHRONOCENTRISM
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 434 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
A tendency to explain facts of the past in terms of contemporary beliefs.
The archeologist Timothy TAYLOR gives a typical example: As “many archeologists see…a widespread signature of cannibalism across different continents, in different frames, another group of archeologists start to say: ”Well, there must be other explanations- because humans don't do this“ (Interview New Scientist, sept.28, 2002, p. 48)
While “anthropocentrism ”and “culturocentrism ”are well recognized as a source of dubious interpretations in human sciences, there is scant perception of the psychological and socio-cultural differences in former societies. A good example is our deeply seated uneasiness about witch hunting in western societies, a behavior that was considered normal to our forefathers, of which some may even have been witch hunters…or “witches.”