Animism Book

I've given this book 4 stars - not because 'I really liked it', but because it did what it set out to do - no more, no less.

I found it very highly detailed and analytical - rather like an academic paper or dissertation. I thought that the sections on language and grammar in Objiwe, Maori and Australian Aboriginal society were meaningful when they detailed practice and related conversations with tribal members, but it seems to me that examining the way language is used is an unreliable way to determine what a society considers animate. In English, at least, both speech and writing often animate what are generally accepted as objects for effect all the time. The most reliable way of getting to the truth of how other cultures perceive 'persons' is by in-depth discussion and immersion in their society.

I noticed that the author sometimes arrives at conclusions that are by no means certain from the evidence he presents. One in particular concerned the idea of the animist viewpoint of children, and the possibility (expressed by some ethologists) that this is retained in certain cultures rather than being lost by education. His conclusion seems to be that animism in different cultures is arrived at by discussion among elders and others, that animism is taught or absorbed in these cultures, and childhood understanding of/belief in animism irrelevant.

The book is descriptive in some parts and analytical in others. I enjoyed the sections that delved into the practices of different cultures, but found his examination and criticism of the work of earlier academics difficult to retain until the end of the page. I questioned his conclusions sometimes too, and once I spot one leap I tend to look for others.

I was surprised that the author didn't include a section on scientific research conducted to study consciousness in plants. I read somewhere that a plant will react if a person who has destructive intentions towards it enters the room - I think this would have been far more relevant, informative and fascinating than including examples of creative writing, which should have had no place in a serious work such as this.

I found some sections quite heavy going. I'm pretty fit and literate, but lifting the dictionary too often can become tiring.