Animism

E119287

Animism is a belief system that sees all elements of the natural world—such as animals, plants, places, and sometimes objects—as possessing a spiritual essence or consciousness.

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All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Animism canonical 3
African traditional religion 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf anthropological concept
philosophical concept
religious belief system
worldview
associatedWith ancestor veneration
indigenous religions
nature worship
shamanism
totemism
contrastsWith atheism
materialism
monotheism
secular naturalism
dateOfMajorTheorization 1871
definedBy Edward Burnett Tylor as belief in spiritual beings
emphasizes interconnectedness of humans and nature
moral relationships with non-human beings
reciprocity between humans and spirits
firstMajorWorkOn Primitive Culture
hasCoreBelief all elements of the natural world possess a spiritual essence
animals have spirits
natural phenomena can be spiritually animated
objects can have spirits
places have spirits
plants have spirits
hasVariant classical animism
new animism
historicallyTheorizedBy Edward Burnett Tylor
influences environmental ethics
ritual practices toward animals
ritual practices toward landscapes
ritual practices toward plants
taboos regarding natural resources
isTermUsedIn anthropology
comparative religion
environmental humanities
philosophy of religion
religious studies
newAnimismCharacterizedBy critique of earlier evolutionary models of religion
focus on relational personhood
oftenIncludes offerings to spirits
propitiation of local deities or spirits
ritual communication with spirits
presentIn many Arctic and Siberian religions
many Indigenous Australian religions
many Native American religions
many traditional African religions
recognizes agency in non-human beings
spiritual essence in non-human entities
viewsNonHumansAs intentional agents
persons

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Dene religion Animism
Tswana people traditionalReligion Animism
this entity surface form: African traditional religion
Lisu religion Animism
Kamorta hasReligion Animism