Final answer:
Today, anthropologists view evolution through the lens of evolutionary theory, which includes natural selection, speciation, gene flow, and genetic drift, recognizing the dynamic nature of cultural evolution. This differs significantly from the 19th-century approach, which positioned cultures on a linear path from 'savage' to 'civilized' and upheld the fixity of species.
Step-by-step explanation:
Anthropologists understand evolution today as a cornerstone of biological anthropology, focusing on how and why living organisms, including humans, evolved and adapted in diverse environments. This contemporary perspective, grounded in evolutionary theory, is based on the principles of mutation, speciation, gene flow, and genetic drift in addition to natural selection, which signifies that those who are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This is a shift from the 19th-century paradigm of cultural evolutionism, which proposed that human cultures transformed linearly from 'savage' to 'civilized' states. Today's anthropologists recognize the complexity and fluidity of cultural evolution, which is not regarded as a one-way path but rather as a dynamic, branching process.
In the 19th century, the approach to understanding evolution was based on the premise of the fixity of species and the great chain of being, where all living things were arranged in a hierarchical order. In contrast, the modern understanding rejects this static view, acknowledging that evolution is a continual process shaping the diversity and complexity of life over time. The integration of evolutionary principles into the study of human culture and origins has allowed for a richer, more nuanced comprehension of the human experience.