Chronocentrism

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Chronocentrism (from the Greek chrono meaning time) is primarily the belief that a certain state of humanity is superior to all previous and/or future times.

Chronocentrism takes many forms.

It is in one sense the interpretation of events and actions of other times within the moral context of one's own time. For example, a slave owner in the 1700s who treated his slaves like free estate workers and arranged for them to be freed at his death was unusually enlightened when viewed within the proper context of his time, but someone guilty of chronocentrism would hold him to the standards of our own time and condemn the man's character for being a slave owner. An example of chronocentrism in the primary sense would be to reject an idea because it is old.

In another sense it manifests as a form of Ageism where a person older or younger than another believes that a particular time period with which they identify is superior. For example an adult criticizing a childs musical tastes as inferior due to genres from differing eras or vice versa.

In a third sense Chronocentrism is the belief that an idea is more or less valid due to the time period in which it was promulgated. For example, disagreeing with an idea proposed by someone living today such as a co-worker, but agreeing with the same idea because it was proposed by a venerable historical figure such as Benjamin Franklin or Jesus Christ.

There is a political/philosophical movement known as Anarcho-primitivism which critiques Chronocentrism. It rejects the notion that civilization is the height of human evolution, but that primitive societies were more egalitarian and environmentally sustainable. Although its own critique may be viewed as a form of Chronocentrism in reverse due to its emphasis on the past.

Fundamentally Chronocentrism is a byproduct of linear temporal thought which renders it difficult for one to think outside the period of time in which they live. The term was first coined and used by the American sociologist and criminologist Dr. Richard C. Monk. It is a derivation of the term ethnocentrism used by anthropologists and sociologists.