Monboddo, James Burnett, Lord

Monboddo, James Burnett, Lord, 1714–99, English writer, b. Scotland. A pioneer in anthropology, he wrote Of the Origin and Progress of Language (6 vol., 1774–92), in which he anticipated Darwin and much of modern evolutionary theory. His Antient Metaphysics (6 vol., 1779–99) is a defense of Greek philosophy.

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