Tylor, Sir Edward Burnett

Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, (born Oct. 2, 1832, London—died Jan. 2, 1917, Wellington, Somerset, Eng.), English anthropologist regarded as the founder of cultural anthropology. His most important work, Primitive Culture (1871), influenced in part by Darwin’s theory of biological evolution, developed the theory of an evolutionary, progressive relationship from primitive to modern cultures. Tylor was knighted in 1912. He is best known today for providing, in this book, one of the earliest and clearest definitions of culture, one that is widely accepted and used by contemporary anthropologists. Culture, he said, 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.