Social evolution is a theoretical perspective that was initially popular among nineteenth-century sociological scholars who sought to apply the principles of evolutionary theory from biology to the study of the long-term development and progression of human societies over time. These early social evolutionists often posited that societies develop through a series of fixed stages, moving from simpler, more primitive forms to more complex, advanced, and civilised states, drawing analogies to the biological evolution of species. While this unilinear view of social evolution, suggesting a single path of development for all societies, has largely been discredited in contemporary sociology due to its ethnocentric biases and lack of empirical support, the broader concept of social evolution still informs the study of long-term social change and the ways in which societies adapt and transform over extended periods in response to various factors such as technological innovation, environmental pressures, and intergroup interactions. Modern sociological approaches to social change recognise the multilinear nature of societal development, acknowledging that different societies can follow diverse paths and experience change in various ways, not necessarily leading to a single predetermined endpoint.