The Origin of Man and of His Superstitions — John Shaqi
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
§ 8. _Indirect or “Sympathetic” Magic._—Principles
of Sympathetic Magic—mimesis and participation;
connection with Animism. Exemplary Magic 134-42
§ 9. _The Dissolution of Magic_ 143-4
CHAPTER V
ANIMISM 145
§ 1. _What is Animism?_—Hyperphysical and psychological
Animism. Not all savages think that every man has a
separable soul 145-7
§ 2. _Psychological Animism._—That everything is animated
not an universal or primitive illusion. Animatism.
Causes of the treatment of some inanimate things as
living or sentient 147-53
§ 3. _The Ghost Theory._—Originated chiefly by dreams;
which are regarded as objective experience 153-7
§ 4. _Extension of the Ghost Theory to
Animals._—Influence of shadows and reflections.
Generally, only things individually interesting have
ghosts. Examples 157-60
§ 5. _Ghosts and Soul-stuff._—Separated spirits need
bodies and food, that is, soul-stuff. Abstract ideas
of “spirit,” “force,” etc. 161-4
§ 6. _Ghosts and Spirits._—Ghosts first imagined, and
other spirits on their model. Some spirits, formerly
ghosts, now declared not to have been; others never
incarnate 164-9
§ 7. _How Ghosts and Spirits are imagined._—Have the same
attributes, and not at first immaterial; confused
with the corpse. Various conceptions. Number of souls
to each body. External souls 169-73
§ 8. _Origin and Destiny of
Souls._—Reincarnation—Transmigration—Liable to
second death. Place of the departed. Importance of
next life resembling the present 174-7
§ 9. _The Treatment of Ghosts._—Results partly from fear,
partly from affection. Funerary rites—extravagance
and economy. Simplicity of ghosts. Inconsistent
behaviour toward them 178-82
§ 10. _Evolution and Dissolution of Animism._—Popular
and priestly Animism. Different emotions excited by
ghosts and by gods 182-6
CHAPTER VI
THE RELATIONS BETWEEN MAGIC AND ANIMISM 187
§ 1. _The Question of Priority._—Wundt’s theory of
Animism and of the derivation from it of Magic.
Reasons for dissenting. Origins of Magic and of
Animism independent 187-93
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