The Origin of Man and of His SuperstitionsRead, Carveth
Philosophy
The Origin of Man and of His Superstitions
Read, Carveth
Animism; Human beings -- Origin; Magic; Superstition; Totemism
§ 3. _Minor and Secondary Consequences._—Alimentary
canal; loss of seasonal marriage; naked skin;
cannibalism; division into races; Nordic sub-race 13-21
§ 4. _Prey and Competitors._—Climate and landscape
in Oligocene and Miocene; animals, herbivorous;
anthropoids and their stature in late Oligocene;
carnivorous contemporaries 21-8
§ 5. _Conclusion._—Summary 28-9
CHAPTER II
ON THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE HUMAN FROM THE ANTHROPOID MIND 30
§ 1. _Heredity, Adaptation, Accommodation_ 30-31
§ 2. _The Original Stock and the Conditions of
Differentiation._—Mind of the higher apes the best
clue to that of the original stock. Conditions of
differentiation: the hunting life; geographical
diffusion; social life; imaginations concerning Magic
and Animism 31-5
§ 3. _Primal Society._—Forms of gregariousness amongst
Mammalia; the hunting-pack most likely original of
human society. Other conjectures 35-40
§ 4. _Psychology of the Hunting-pack._—Interest in the
chase and in killing; gregariousness; various modes
of sympathy; aggressiveness; claim to territory;
recognition of leaders, submission to the pack,
emulation, precedency; strategy and persistence;
struggle to share the prey; intelligence. Different
mentality of the herbivorous herd 40-49
§ 5. _The Wolf-type of Man established by Natural
Selection._—Keith’s hypothesis as to epoch of
differentiation. Slow progress of culture; full
adaptation to hunting life prior to Neolithic culture 49-52
§ 6. _Some further Consequences of the
Hunting-life._—Growth of constructiveness; language;
customs—marriage; property; war; sports and games;
laughter and lamentation 52-61
§ 7. _Moralisation of the Hunters._—Character of
Anthropoids; human benevolence; moral sense; effect
of industry; of growing intelligence 61-6
§ 8. _Influence of the Imaginary Environment._—Belief in
Magic and Spirits often injurious; but on the whole
advantageous; especially by establishing government 66-70
CHAPTER III
BELIEF AND SUPERSTITION 71
§ 1. “_Superstition._”—Here used merely to include Magic
and Animism as imagination-beliefs 71-2
§ 2. _Imagination._—Various uses of the word; mental
“images”; in connection with reasoning; and
with literary fiction. Here means unverifiable
representation 72-6
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