Edward Burnett Tylor
Edward Burnett Tylor: A Pioneer in Anthropology
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Edward Burnett Tylor was a renowned British anthropologist, best known by his full name, Edward Burnett Tylor. His work laid the foundation for modern anthropology.
Birth and Death Dates
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Tylor was born on October 2, 1832, in Camberley, England, and passed away on January 3, 1917.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Edward Burnett Tylor was a British anthropologist of the Victorian era. He is considered one of the founders of anthropology as an academic discipline.
Early Life and Background
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Tylor's early life shaped his interests in anthropology. Born into a family that valued education, he pursued studies at Harrow School and later at Exeter College, Oxford University. Tylor's experiences during travels to Mexico and the United States sparked his fascination with indigenous cultures.
Major Accomplishments
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Tylor is best known for his theory of cultural evolution, which posits that all cultures evolve in a similar way from primitive to complex societies. His most notable work, Primitive Culture, published in 1871, introduced this concept and provided evidence from various cultures worldwide.
Notable Works or Actions
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Primitive Culture (1871): A foundational text in anthropology that proposed the theory of cultural evolution.
Anthropology (1881): A textbook that further developed his ideas on cultural evolution and comparative method.
* Research in the Pacific (1866): An early publication showcasing Tylor's work on Polynesian cultures.
Impact and Legacy
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Tylor's contributions to anthropology have had a lasting impact. His theory of cultural evolution, although later disputed, formed the basis for subsequent anthropological theories. He also helped establish anthropology as a distinct discipline within academia.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Edward Burnett Tylor is widely quoted and remembered due to his groundbreaking work in establishing anthropology as an academic discipline. His theory of cultural evolution, although subject to revision, remains a significant concept in the field. As a pioneer in anthropology, Tylor's legacy continues to influence research and scholarship today.
His contributions also highlight the importance of cross-cultural understanding and the value of comparative method in studying human societies.
Quotes by Edward Burnett Tylor
Edward Burnett Tylor's insights on:
If you are a married man resident in Cuba, you cannot get a passport to go to the next town without your wife’s permission in writing.
Culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.
Culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society
Animism characterizes tribes very low in the scale of humanity, and thence ascends, deeply modified in its transmission, but from first to last preserving an unbroken continuity, into the midst of high modern culture.
The Cathedral, for instance, is really a very grand building when seen from a little distance, with its two high towers and its cupola behind.
The Indian fig trees sent down from every branch suckers, like smooth strings, which rooted themselves in the ground to draw up more water.
If you look at the arms of the Mexican Republic, on a passport or a silver dollar, you will see a representation of a rock surrounded by water.
When we had been a week or two in the city of Mexico, we decided upon making an excursion to the great silver mining district of the Real del Monte.
We were very kindly received by the English merchants to whom my companion had letters, and we set ourselves to learn what was the real state of things in Mexico.