animatism

9.9

Belief that natural things like trees and rivers have minds or spirits

noun
/ˌænɪˈmeɪtɪzəm/

Specialized

: animatismo

The concept of animatism suggests that rivers and mountains have their own spirits.

Examples

Some indigenous cultures practice animatism, attributing life and spirit to rivers and forests.
He explained the earthquake through animatism, believing the earth itself was a living being.
The study of animatism helps anthropologists understand early human explanations for natural events.
Many indigenous cultures practice animatism as part of their spiritual beliefs.
Some indigenous cultures practice animatism, believing that the mountains and forests have their own spirits.
The concept of animatism reflects the idea that natural elements possess their own consciousness.
In animatism, rivers are seen not just as water, but as living entities with emotions and personalities.

Synonyms

animism

vsanimatism

1 9.6

A belief that natural things like rivers and trees are alive

limits consciousness to objects and phenomena with personality rather than the whole universe

panpsychism

vsanimatism

Specialized

1 9.9

The idea that all things have some form of mind or feeling

applies consciousness only to natural objects and phenomena not to every bit of matter

Surface Forms

animatism singular

animatisms plural

Morphology

animatism = animate (transparent) = animat + ism

Formed by the adjective/verb 'animate' + the noun-forming suffix '-ism', yielding a doctrine/belief about things being animate, which is directly inferable.

Etymology

The word animatism comes from the Latin root anima, meaning 'soul' or 'breath', the same root you see in animate and animal. A helpful image is to think of nature as having life or a spirit, so animatism is the belief that rivers, trees, or even rocks can be alive or have a personality.