The Evolution of the Concept of Time: From the Cyclical Theory of Ancient Greece to the Ontological Reconstruction of Modern Subjective Rationality

Abstract

The evolution of the concept of time has undergone three major stages: the cyclical theory of ancient Greece, the linear view of Christianity, and the modern reconstruction based on subjective rationality, revealing a profound transformation in humanity’s ontological cognition. Rooted in celestial cycles and natural rhythms, Ancient Greece constructed a model of eternal recurrence that dissolved the directionality of history. Through the redemptive narrative of Creation and Apocalypse Judgment, Medieval Christianity established a unidirectional, linear conception of time, infused the divine purpose into the course of history and internalized it as a perceptual framework for the soul’s extension. By the modern era, the Scientific Revolution and the rise of subjective rationality had subverted tradition, pushing the conception of time from cosmic order to subjective construction. This process not only presents a cognitive leap from dependence on nature to the authority of reason, but also reflects human beings’ complete ontological awakening from cosmology to existentialism in the co-construction of time and existence.