Why do anthropologists reject Lewis Henry Morgan’s unilinear theory of cultural evolution?

Anthropologists reject Lewis Henry Morgan’s unilinear theory of cultural evolution because it is fundamentally flawed and ethnocentric. While Morgan proposed that all human societies progress through a fixed, universal sequence of stages—from savagery to barbarism to civilization—modern anthropology identifies several critical errors in this approach.12

The primary reasons for this rejection include:

• Ethnocentrism and Racism: The theory was heavily criticized for being racist and ethnocentric, as it implicitly ranked non-Western cultures as inferior to European societies, which were viewed as the pinnacle of progress.32
• Neglect of Historical Complexity: By assuming a single, linear path of development, the theory ignored the unique historical trajectories, discontinuities, and specific environmental circumstances of individual cultures.42
• Failure to Account for Cultural Meaning: The theory failed to recognize that the same cultural trait can hold vastly different meanings depending on the specific society in which it is found.2
• Shift to Cultural Particularism: Led by Franz Boas, the field moved toward cultural particularism, which emphasizes that each culture is unique and must be understood on its own terms rather than through broad, speculative generalizations.43

Ultimately, the field moved away from Morgan's rigid stages toward multilinear evolution, which acknowledges that societies evolve along diverse paths rather than a single, predetermined track.35