Synthesis philosophica, Vol. 39 No. 1, 2024.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21464/sp39106
Chronogenetic Institutions as Categorical Nuclei of Temporal Ideas
Duzan Dussier Avila Castellanos
; University of Waikato, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Knighton Road, NZ–3240 Hamilton
Íñigo Ongay de Felipe
; University of Deusto, Facultad de ciencias sociales y humanas, Avda. de las Universidades 24, ES–48007 Bilbao
Abstract
This paper explores the genesis of the concept of time, analysing how the initial methods, techniques and institutions employed by early human groups to measure environmental changes became increasingly aligned with human activities, thereby forming the basis of our modern understanding of time. Adopting a discontinuous materialist perspective, this work posits that complex ideas like time often have simple technological origins. We introduce the term chronogenetic institutions to describe the early mechanisms used by human groups for measuring world transformations before having a clear concept of time. These chronogenetic institutions are grouped according to the cyclical phenomena they represent, primarily natural occurrences such as the movement of celestial bodies, changing weather patterns, and seasonal variations in flora and fauna. This study challenges the view that temporal concepts were purely theoretical at their inception, highlighting that they initially emerged and spread through institutional practices in social contexts. It promotes a refined understanding of time’s complexity, advocating for a transition from a singular “Nature Time” to a conception of multiple temporalities, constructed both socially and technologically. Furthermore, it advocates for an objective and pluralistic examination of early human groups’ initial attempts to synchronise their activities with the changing and unpredictable world around them.
Keywords
time; temporalities; natural time; chronogenetic institutions; discontinuous materialism; anthropological space; referential
Hrčak ID:
321374
URI
Publication date:
11.10.2024.
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