1. the practice of interpreting past events in terms of modern values and concepts
Usage: academic; historical criticism
2. the philosophical theory that only present objects and events exist
Usage: philosophy; metaphysics

Examples

• The historian warned against presentisms when analyzing medieval society.
• Students often fall into presentisms by judging historical figures by today’s moral standards.
• The professor criticized the book for its obvious presentisms throughout the analysis.
• Avoiding presentisms requires understanding the context of different historical periods.
• The debate between presentisms and eternalism continues in philosophy of time.
• Her research methodology carefully avoided common presentisms in historical interpretation.