Today's world is increasingly characterized by rapid social change, including shifting cultural norms and expectations around gender identity and expression. As these changes occur, traditional concepts of time and temporality are being challenged and redefined. Non-binary temporality refers to an understanding of time that goes beyond the linear and sequential model that has dominated Western thought since the Enlightenment. It instead recognizes multiple temporalities that coexist and intersect, each with its own distinct logic and meaning. This shift in how we think about time has important implications for ethical deliberation concerning agency, accountability, and foresight. In this essay, I will explore how non-binary temporality reshapes these three key aspects of ethics.
Non-binary temporality challenges our assumptions about agency. Traditional understandings of agency assume that individuals have control over their actions and choices within a linear and predictable flow of time.
Under non-binary temporality, we must recognize that different temporal structures can exist simultaneously, such as past, present, future, and even imagined or virtual futures. This means that agency may be distributed differently across different temporalities, with some people having more power or influence in one temporality than another.
Indigenous communities often privilege stories and myths from the past as sources of authority and wisdom. By acknowledging this multiplicity of temporalities, we can better appreciate the complex dynamics of power and agency at play in any given situation.
Non-binary temporality also challenges our ideas of accountability. Traditionally, we have understood accountability as holding individuals responsible for their actions in relation to a linear timeline. Under non-binary temporality, however, we must consider that actions can have consequences far into the future or the past, beyond the scope of traditional accounting methods.
Climate change has long-term effects on global ecosystems that extend well beyond human lifespans. To address this issue, we need to think about accountability in terms of intergenerational justice, which requires us to take responsibility for actions that will impact future generations. Similarly, colonialism's lasting effects continue to shape contemporary societies, making it necessary to engage in decolonizing practices that acknowledge legacies of violence and oppression across multiple temporalities.
Non-binary temporality reshapes how we think about foresight. In traditional models of time, the future is seen as an open field where anything is possible but not yet determined.
Under non-binary temporality, we recognize that different temporal structures coexist simultaneously, each with its own unique possibilities and constraints. This means that we cannot assume that there is only one path forward - instead, we must grapple with multiple futures and work to create alternative narratives that disrupt dominant ones.
Feminist movements have worked to envision alternative futures that challenge patriarchal norms by imagining new ways of living and relating to each other outside of established gender roles. By embracing non-binary temporality, we can better understand how power relations are embedded within time itself and find creative ways to resist them.
Non-binary temporality challenges many assumptions about ethics and offers a more complex understanding of agency, accountability, and foresight. As we navigate increasingly rapid social change, recognizing these shifts is crucial if we want to create just and equitable worlds for all people.
How does non-binary temporality reshape ethical deliberation concerning agency, accountability, and foresight?
Non-binary temporality has significant implications for ethical deliberation concerning agency, accountability, and foresight. For one, it challenges the traditional notions of linear time and the notion that past events are fixed and unchangeable. Non-binary temporalities suggest that the past is open to interpretation, reinterpretation, and even revision, as seen in the emerging field of 'counterfactual history.