Henry Lewis Morgan (1818-1881)
Henry was an Ethnologist & scientific anthropologist
Biography - Who is Henry Lewis Morgan ?
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The Contributions Of Lewis Henry Morgan.
In the 19th century Lewis Henry Morgan contributed immensely to the methodology of evolutionism. As he became more fond of the Seneca tribe, Lewis noticed the Seneca treated their consanguineous kin differently from the civilized people. The Seneca kinship terminology did not recognize the distinction between kin in one's direct line of descent while the civilized people did. After realizing this odd observation, he developed more interest in kinship terminology. His observation and research in kinship represents his most durable contribution.
Lewis also had interest in the cultural evolution. He believed that that the associations was what progressed the expansion of knowledge, technological inventions, and change the view point of relationships, and marriage structures. During the research Lewis subdivided the social evolution into 3 major stages: Savagery, Barbarism, and Civilization.
Lewis branched the stages by technological inventions. Thus, Lewis stated that technological progress was what really pushed the social progress to change and develop. As the culture evolved through the decades; the evolution from primitive to modern progressed the society. Lewis's intention was to demonstrate and describe the wide variety of kinship systems and the different stages in the cultural progression as well as social development.