Cultural evolution presumes that over time, cultural change such as the rise of social inequalities or the emergence of agriculture occurs as a result of humans adapting to some noncultural stimulus, such as climate change or population growth. See more. Social evolution definition, the gradual development of society and social forms, institutions, etc., usually through a series of peaceful stages. evolutionism synonyms, evolutionism pronunciation, evolutionism translation, English dictionary definition of evolutionism. It was thought that most societies pass through the same series of stages, to arrive ultimately at a common end. Tylor's evolutionism, much more than Spencer's or Morgan's, concentrated on the evolution of the mental and ideational aspects of social life, especially on religion. Leslie White emphasized that the evolutionary stages are abstractions applicable to the growth of human culture. Define evolutionism. Introduction “Cultural evolution” is the idea that human cultural change––that is, changes in socially transmitted beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes, languages, and so on––can be described as a Darwinian evolutionary process that is similar in key respects (but not identical) to biological/genetic evolution. NINETEEN CENTURY SOCIAL EVOLUTIONISM by KELLY CHAKOV. Neo-Evolutionism In 20th century there evolved Neo –Evolutionism with Leslie White,Julian Steward,Marshall Sahlins and Elman Service as main propounders. It was associated with the social sciences and linguistics, rather than with human biology and archaeology. The first level offers a minimalist definition of evolution in terms of social groups responding and adapting to changes in their social and natural environment. Anthropology and Evolution: Facts, Concepts, and Perspectives. Anthropology - Anthropology - Social and cultural anthropology: A distinctive “social” or “cultural” anthropology emerged in the 1920s. As the comprehensive study of evolving humankind, anthropology is that discipline that is devoted to research in those areas that are relevant to understanding and appreciating Homo sapiens sapiens within … Longer: E. B. Tylor was responsible for developing a theory of social EVOLUTION that laid the basis for treating anthropology as a science in the nineteenth century. Basic Premises In the early years of anthropology, the prevailing view was that culture generally develops (or evolves) in a uniform and progressive manner. ... Social evolutionism. A theory of biological evolution, especially that formulated by Charles Darwin. n. 1. Cultural evolution as a theory in anthropology was developed in the 19th century, and it was an outgrowth of Darwinian evolution.