Final answer:
Lewis Binford proposed the theoretical approach known as processual archaeology, emphasizing scientific methods and systemic analysis to understand and explain the past in archaeology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theoretical approach proposed by Lewis Binford is known as processual archaeology. This approach, which emerged in the 1960s, advocates for the rigorous use of the scientific method in archaeology, emphasizing a systematic and empirical framework for understanding the processes that led to the formation of archaeological records. Processual archaeology seeks to not just describe the past but to explain it by studying cultural changes and environmental adaptations through time.
Binford argued that archaeology should be used to make generalizations about human behavior and cultural patterns through the analysis of material remains. His approach challenged the traditional, descriptive nature of archaeology and opened up debates on the scientific versus the humanistic approaches to the discipline.