What is the impact of the Enlightenment on anthropology?

The Enlightenment had a profound impact on anthropology by shaping its foundational ideas and methods. This period, which spanned the 17th and 18th centuries, emphasized reason, science, individual rights, and progress. These values contributed significantly to the development of anthropology in the following ways:

1. Scientific Approach and Rationalism: Enlightenment thinkers advocated for a systematic, scientific approach to understanding the world, which influenced anthropology’s shift from speculative philosophy to empirical research. Anthropologists began to focus on gathering data and using observation and reasoning to study human societies.
2. Humanism and Universalism: Enlightenment thinkers believed in the inherent dignity and worth of individuals and emphasized universal human rights. This humanist perspective laid the groundwork for anthropology’s focus on understanding the diversity of human cultures, the commonalities that bind all people, and the idea that all humans share certain fundamental characteristics despite cultural differences.
3. Cultural Relativism: While not fully developed during the Enlightenment, the period set the stage for cultural relativism—the idea that one culture should not be judged by the standards of another. Thinkers like Montesquieu and Rousseau critiqued European notions of civilization, which prompted early anthropologists to reconsider Western ethnocentrism and seek to understand non-European societies in their own terms.
4. Philosophy of Progress: Enlightenment thinkers believed in the potential for human progress and improvement. This idea led to early anthropological theories of social evolution, such as those proposed by figures like Adam Smith and later, Charles Darwin. These theories sought to explain how societies develop and change over time, moving from “primitive” to “civilized” stages.
5. Interest in Other Cultures: The Enlightenment encouraged intellectual curiosity about the world. Travel and exploration increased during this time, and many Enlightenment scholars, such as James Cook and other explorers, collected information about non-European societies. This exploration and documentation of diverse cultures provided raw material for the emerging field of anthropology.
6. The Rise of Comparative Method: Enlightenment thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Gottfried Herder emphasized the importance of understanding the variety of human experience. This led to the development of the comparative method in anthropology, where different cultures and societies could be studied and compared to understand human nature and social organization.