evolutionism

Evolutionism, in the context of social science, refers to the 19th-century idea that societies progress through distinct stages, similar to biological evolution. This unilinear theory suggested that Western societies represented the most advanced stage, with others destined to follow. Key figures like Herbert Spencer and Lewis Henry Morgan proposed models of societal development, often linking it to technological advancement and increasing complexity.123

However, this perspective has been largely discredited. Modern scholars favor multilinear theories, acknowledging diverse paths of cultural development and rejecting the notion of a single, inevitable progression. Social Darwinism, an extension of these ideas, controversially applied "survival of the fittest" to social groups, often used to justify inequality and imperialism.2145