Animism

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the views of Tylor and how he regarded animism as the most primitive stage in the evolution of religion. He thought all religions, from the most primitive to the most complex, shared some sort of animistic belief. Tylor suggested that the experience of primitive people lead them to believe in the human spirit.

From the Paper:

"Primitive people lived close to nature in a way modern people could scarcely imagine. They were bombarded with phenomena they couldn't explain or predict animal attacks, floods, disease. They must have had an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It would seem natural that primitive people would have made some attempt to explain the phenomena of their world. Tylor suggested that the concept of an eternal soul or spirit arose from an attempt of primitive people to explain their experience of sleeping, dreaming, and death. Tylor suggested that primitive people decided that, during these times, a spirit, a force separate from the physical body, leaves. In sleep or in a dream, the spirit may journey and interact with other spirits, then return. In death it leaves for good. Sickness, too, could then be explained as the spirit's departure, either to subsequently return, or leave for good. (Tylor)"

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