social evolution
Cultural change over time
Social evolution is the theory that societies develop through progressive stages, from simpler to more complex forms of organization.
The concept emerged in the nineteenth century, drawing parallels with biological evolution to explain how human cultures advance over time.
Critics note it often assumed Western industrial society represented the pinnacle of development: They viewed hunter-gatherer societies as earlier stages of social evolution.
The term now appears more neutrally in discussions of how social structures, norms, and institutions change across generations.
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- DarwinismNatural selection theory
- sociobiologyStudy of inherited social behaviors
- philosophyStudy of fundamental truths
- survival of the fittestAdaptive advantage perpetuates species
survival instinct · cooperation · altruism · common good · human nature · hunter gatherer · collective behavior · groups · innovation · democracy · industry · sustainability · morality · monarchy · justice · progress · hierarchy · pecking order
social evolutionsocial revolution
Radical restructuring of society
social engineering · revolutionary change · radical transformation · coup
social, society, evolve, evolution, sociable, socialism, antisocial, socialist, socialize