Animatism

Animatism

:"For the prog music band from Poznań, Poland, see Animatism (band)."

Animatism is a term coined by Edward Burnett Tylor to refer to the belief of certain cultures in supernatural forces and powers.

These forces are inanimate and impersonal, which is not the case with the beliefs classed as animism. For example. the Melanesians, believe in mana as a force inherent in all objects. It is not physical "per se", but may manifest itself physically. So, in their system of belief, a warrior who performs bravely in battle does so because of a mana-containing amulet he wears, and not because of his prowess


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  • animatism — animatísm s. n. Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic …   Dicționar Român

  • animatism — [an′i mə tiz΄əm] n. the belief that inanimate things have consciousness or personality …   English World dictionary

  • animatism — /an euh meuh tiz euhm/, n. the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena. [1895 1900; ANIMATE + ISM] * * * …   Universalium

  • animatism — noun The belief that everything is pervaded with a life force giving each inanimate object a consciousness or personality, but not a soul as in animism …   Wiktionary

  • animatism — Attribution of mental or spiritual qualities to both living beings and nonliving things. SEE ALSO: animism. * * * an·i·mat·ism an ə mə .tiz əm n attribution of consciousness and personality but not of individual spirit to such natural phenomena… …   Medical dictionary

  • animatism — The explanation, proffered by some early anthropologists, of primitive religion as resulting from a sense of wonder at unusual natural objects (for example volcanoes) or the unusual behaviour of such objects (exceptional waterfalls and the like) …   Dictionary of sociology

  • animatism — an·i·mat·ism …   English syllables

  • animatism — /ˈænəmətɪzəm/ (say anuhmuhtizuhm) noun the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects …  

  • animatism —   n. belief that inanimate objects, etc., have personality and will, but not soul …   Dictionary of difficult words

  • animatism — noun the attribution of consciousness and personality to natural phenomena such as thunderstorms and earthquakes and to objects such as plants and stones • Derivationally related forms: ↑animatistic • Hypernyms: ↑attribution, ↑ascription …   Useful english dictionary

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