The conceptual roots of the modern notion of information are traced. One of the most prominent of these roots stems from an unlikely source-western views of time. This root is perhaps the main reason for the wide appeal and explanatory power of our current conception of information, particularly in cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, however, this appeal and power have led many theorists and researchers to overlook problems with this conception. Psychology's dominant assumption of time not only underlies these problems but also prevents their solution. An alternative assumption of time-hermeneutic temporality-is thus described. This alternative is shown to avoid the more problematic aspects of the dominant view and offer a more promising basis for conceptualizing information.
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