This kind of anachronism is considered to be a form of Whig history and is a special problem among historians of science.
[1] The French historian of medieval science, Pierre Duhem, exemplifies several of the characteristics of the quest for precursors of modern scientific ideas.
Duhem was trained as a physicist, rather than as a historian; he was French and many of the precursors he identified were French or studied at the University of Paris; he was a devout Catholic and many of the precursors of the theologically troubling Italian, Galileo, were members of religious orders.
[4] Precursorism has recently been identified as a significant factor in some studies of the work of Islamic scientists.
[5] It is now commonly assumed that historians of science should study past scientific "ideas in their own right, avoiding anachronism and precursoritis.