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"Modernity" has recently been the subject of considerable discussion among historians. This article reviews some of the debates and argues that modernity is a problematic concept because it implies a complete rupture with "traditional" ways of life. Studies of key terms are undertaken with the aid of Google Ngrams. These show that "modernity," "modern times," and "traditional" - in English and other languages- have a history of their own. A brief analysis of the shift from a self oriented toward equilibrium to a self oriented toward stimulation demonstrates that modernity is not necessary to historical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]