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Animism
Animism is the worldview, common to many indigenous cultures and traditional religions, according to which every natural entity (animals, plants, stones, rivers, mountains, atmospheric phenomena) possesses its own soul or spirit. The term was introduced into anthropology by the Englishman Edward Burnett Tylor in 1871.
Animist cultures
Animism is present in the shamanic cultures of Siberia, in many indigenous traditions of the Americas (Native American, Amazonian, Andean peoples), in traditional African religions, in Japanese Shintoism, in animist rites of Southeast Asia. The common principle is that nature is not "inert matter" but a network of animate beings with whom one can relate.
Contemporary rereading
Contemporary anthropology (Philippe Descola, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro) has revalued animism as an "ontology" alternative to Western Cartesian naturalism. The environmental crisis has led some philosophers to reconsider animist visions as a resource for rethinking the relationship between humans and environment.
FAQ
Is it a religion?
More than a single religion, it is a worldview expressed in many different religions and cultures.
Is it linked to shamanism?
Yes, shamanism rests on a typically animist vision of the world: the spirits of nature can be consulted.
Is it compatible with science?
Animism as ontology is not in contrast with science in its methods: it is in contrast with the idea that nature is "only" inert matter.