ABSTRACT
Edward Tysons work and Charles Darwins work were the cornerstones of a new view of the place of the human species in the natural world. A nested hierarchy of creatures exists, and we are (progressively more exclusively) primates, anthropoids, catarrhines, and hominoids. The theory of evolution explains why that hierarchy exists, because more inclusive groups share more distant ancestors. Major conceptual revolutions occurred in parallel in 19th century biology (undermining anthropocentrism) and in 20th century anthropology (undermining ethnocentrism) in understanding our place in the world.
