Explain the different assumptions unilinear as well as multilinear evolutionary theories have about the social changes in a society.

Question

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Answer 1

So we have this concept in social sciences called "development" and it's a really loaded term. The unilinear theory of a society's evolution over time goes like this: Western countries in the Global North are highly "developed." "Development" can be measured and even quantified. The closer to the "ideal" of Northern/Western Europe a culture appears, the more "developed" it is. All societies follow more or less the same trajectory, and eventually they will all pass through the same "stages of development" from "primitive" to "civilized." This theory has fallen out of favor.

The multilinear theory of evolution simply says that every culture has its own unique path, and none should be held as the gold standard. There is no such thing as "primitive," or if there is, it isn't a bad thing. Technological progression is not a great way to measure quality of life, and economic development isn't the same thing as happiness. Proponents of this view will point out that different societies have prospered at different times in history, and it's unrealistic to expect or want all human societies to march through time along the same line that was forged by Western Europe--after all, they can't have a coal-based industrial revolution, and the "development" of then-colonial Europe was based on the exploitation of resources stolen from "underdeveloped" nations.