▁various ▁modern ▁day ▁sciences ▁and ▁the ▁build - up ▁of ▁cultural ▁norm s ▁present ▁in ▁modern - day ▁society . ▁ ▁In ▁Lewis ▁H . ▁Morgan ' s ▁book ▁An cient ▁Society ▁( 1 8 7 7 ), ▁Morgan ▁labels ▁seven ▁differ ing ▁stages ▁of ▁human ▁culture : ▁lower , ▁middle , ▁and ▁upper ▁sav ag ery ; ▁lower , ▁middle , ▁and ▁upper ▁bar bar ism ; ▁and ▁civil ization . ▁He ▁just ifies ▁this ▁st aging ▁classification ▁by ▁referencing ▁soci eties ▁whose ▁cultural ▁tra its ▁res emble d ▁those ▁of ▁each ▁of ▁his ▁stage ▁class ifications ▁of ▁the ▁cultural ▁pro gression . ▁Morgan ▁gave ▁no ▁example ▁of ▁lower ▁sav ag ery , ▁as ▁even ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁writing ▁few ▁examples ▁remained ▁of ▁this ▁cultural ▁type . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁exp ounding ▁his ▁theory , ▁Morgan ' s ▁work ▁was ▁highly ▁respect ed ▁and ▁became ▁a ▁foundation ▁for ▁much ▁of ▁anth rop ological ▁study ▁that ▁was ▁to ▁follow . ▁ ▁Cultural ▁particular ism ▁ ▁There ▁began ▁a ▁w ides p read ▁condem n ation ▁of ▁un il ine ar ▁theory ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁Un il ine ar ▁cultural ▁evolution ▁implicitly ▁assumes ▁that ▁culture ▁was ▁bor ne ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁Western ▁Europe . ▁That ▁was ▁seen ▁by ▁many ▁to ▁be ▁rac ist , ▁as ▁it ▁assumed ▁that ▁some ▁individuals ▁and ▁cult ures ▁were ▁more ▁evol ved ▁than ▁others . ▁ ▁Franz ▁Bo as , ▁a ▁German - born ▁anth rop ologist