Answer:
The statement that best defines evolutionism is:
It was used to classify cultures and societies as passing through defined stages.
Evolutionism, in the context of anthropology and social sciences, refers to a now-discredited theoretical framework that classified cultures and societies into distinct stages of development or evolution. This perspective posited that societies progress linearly from "primitive" to "advanced" stages, often characterized by technological, economic, and social complexity. This approach has been largely criticized for its ethnocentric biases and cultural superiority assumptions.
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