Edward B. Tylor

Edward B. Tylor was a pioneering anthropologist who believed that human societies develop through stages of cultural progress. He defined culture as a complex system of knowledge, beliefs, and practices shared by a community, passed down through generations. Tylor proposed that early humans had animistic religions—that is, belief in spirits—and that over time, societies evolved from simple to more complex belief systems. His work laid the foundation for understanding cultural development and the idea that all cultures share a common origin, contributing significantly to the study of anthropology.