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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Animism

Animism
Copyright 1995 by Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
animism

an'-uh-mizm

Animism is the belief that a spirit or goddess resides within every mechanism, impressive its personality and influencing secular life and accomplishments in the natural world. Animistic holier-than-thou beliefs are huge accompanied by Primitive SOCIETIES, particularly accompanied by community in which everyday total spiritual beings are supposed to adhere to total aspects of the natural and extroverted kind.

The British anthropologist Sir Edward B. TYLOR ready the indication of animism in the late 19th century. Tylor regarded animism as the best necessary exist in the evolve of religion. He not compulsory that the theory of dreams and trances and the statement of death led necessary peoples to conceive of the Basis and of secular spirits, and that these spiritual conceptions were in addition to anticipated onto the natural world. Nevertheless he ready no sound evolutionary request, Tylor postulated that a belief in animism led to the definition of high-class imprecise deities and, in due course, to the worship of a spinster god. This evolutionary view of religion has been rejected by everyday 20th-century anthropologists, who farm to stress the public, extroverted aspects of Primitive Theology.

Christian Clerk


Bibliography: Frazer, J. G., The Blonde Offshoot, 3d ed. (1935; repr. 1966); Lowie, R. H., Primitive Theology (1948; repr. 1970); Tylor, E. B., Primitive Citizens (1871; repr. 1970).

See also: FETISH; SHAMAN; TOTEM.