Why did social scientists begin using the term social change instead of social evolution?

Social scientists began substituting the term "social change" for "social evolution" primarily because the latter concept, which dominated 19th-century theory, faced significant criticism on empirical and ethical grounds.1

Early theories of social evolution were often criticized for being deterministic, Western-centered, and overly optimistic about the inevitability of progress. These theories frequently assumed that all societies followed a single, predetermined path of development, with Western society positioned as the most advanced. As research findings grew, these rigid evolutionary models were increasingly refuted by empirical evidence.1

By the mid-20th century, particularly between the 1920s and 1950s, functionalism became the dominant paradigm in both sociology and anthropology. During this period, "social evolution" was replaced by "social change," a concept viewed as more general, neutral, and better suited to describing the alteration of mechanisms within a social structure without necessarily implying a predetermined direction or moral progress.12