The elementary forms of the religious life, a study in religious sociology

1915·20.9 MB·English

by  Durkheim, Emile, 1858-1917

THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
k

THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF THE
RELIGIOUS LIFE

EMILE DURKHEIM
The Elementary Forms
of the
Religious Life
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY
JOSEPH WARD SWAIN
M.A.
LONDON
GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD
RUSKIN HOUSE MUSEUM STREET
5
FIRST PUBLISHED IN I915
SECOND IMPRESSION I926
THIRD IMPRESSION I954
FOURTH IMPRESSION 1957
FIFTH IMPRESSION I964
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
Apartfrom anyfairdealingforthepurposesofprivate
itudv, research, criticism or review, aspermittedunder
the Copyright Act, ig^G, noportion may be reproduced
hy any process without written permission. Enquiry
shouldbemadetothepublisher.
&
(g)George Allen Unwin Ltd. 191
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
BV HOLLEN STREET PRESS LTD
LONDON W.
I
—
College
Library
H-10
CûtO .%
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Subject of our Study Religious Sociology and the Theory of
: Knowledge
—
I. Ptroindceitpearlmsiunbejetchteoefletmheenbtoaorky:foarnmaslyosfisthoefrtehleigsiiomusplleisfet—reWlihgyionthkenyoawrne
more easily found and explained in the primitive religions
—
II. Secondary subject of research: the—genesis of the fundamental
notions of thought or the categories Reasons f—or believing that
their origin is religious and consequently social How a way of
restatingthetheoryofknowledgeisthusseen . . . . . j
BOOK
I
PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS
CHAPTER
I *
Definition of Religious Phenomena and of Religion
..........
Usefuilnnessesekofinagptrheilsimidenfairnyitdieofni—niWtihonyoftrheeliguisounal; mdeeftihnoitdiotnosbsehofuollldowbeed
—examined first ....—... 23
I. Religion defined by the supernatural and mysterious Criticism: the
—nptionofmystery.isnot.prim.itive....... 24
II. —Religiondefinedinconnect—ionwiththeideaofGodoraspiritualbeing.
Religions without gods Rites in deistic religions which imply no
ideaofdivinity 29
— —
III. Sea—rch for a positive def—inition Distinction between beliefs and
rites Defiinition of beliefs Fi—rst characteristic: division of things
^.between —sacred and profane Distinctive character—istics of this
definition Definition of rites in relation to beliefs Definition of.36
IV.—reNleicgeisosni—ty .of an.oth?er. c.hara.c.te—ris..tic .t,o d.i.sti-n.gu.ish.m.ag.ic..from
religion TheideaoftheChurch Doindividualisticreligions exclude
theideaofaChurch 42
CHAPTER
II
Leading Conceptions of the Elementary Religion
.......
I. Animism
Di—stinctionofanimism.andn.aturi.sm ....... 48
I. Thethreethesesofanimism; Genesisofthe ideaofthesoul; Forma-
tion of the idea of spirits; Transformationofthecultofspiritsinto
thecultofnature 49
14503.35
— —
vi Contents
— — PACE
II. Criticism of the—first thesis Distinction of the idea of the soul from
—thatofadouble .Drea.msdo.not—.accou.ntfor.the.ideao.fthe.soul.. 55
III. Criticism of the second thesis—Death does not explain the trans-
formation of a soul into a spirit The cult of the souls of the dead is
notprimitive 60
— —
IV. Criticism of the third thesis The anthromoporp—hic instinct
Spencer's criticism of it; reservations on this point E—xamination
of the facts by which this instinct is—said to be proved Difference
betweenasoulandthespiritsofnature Religiousanthropomorphism
—isnotprimitive .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .65
\ V. Conclusion: animism reduces religionto nothingmore than asystem
ofhallucinations 68
CHAPTER
III' —
Leading Conce.ption.s of.the.Ele.ment.ary .Relig.ion .{con.tinued)
II. Naturis.m .....
Historyofthetheory 71
—
I. —ExpositionofMaxMUller'snaturism 73
II. If the object of religion is to express natural forces, it is bard to see
how it—has maintained itself, for it expresses them in an erroneous
—manner Pr.etend.ed di.stinc.tion b.etwee.n rel.igion.and m.ytho.logy.. 78
III. Naturism does not explain the division of things into sacred and
profane 84
CHAPTER IV
......
TOTEMISM AS AN ELEMENTARY RELIGION
—
I. —Briefhistory.ofth.eques.tion.oftot.emis.m ..... 88
II. Reasons of method for—which our study will be given specially to the
totemism of Australia The place which will be given to facts from
America 93
BOOK
II
THE ELEMENTARY BELIEFS
CHAPTER
I
ToTEMic Beliefs
— The—Totem as Name and as Emblem—
I. Definition ofthe clan The to—tem as name of the clan Nature of the
—things which serve as totems Ways in which the totem is acquired
— The totemsofphratri—es; of matrimonial classes . . . .102
II. ^The totem as emblem Totemic designs engraved or carved upon
—objects; tatooingsor designs upon the body .— . . .— .113
III. Sacred—character of —the totemic emblem The churinga The
nurtunja The waninga Conventional character of totemic emblems 119
CHAPTER
— II
Totemic Beliefs {continued)
The Totemic Animal and Man
— —
I. Sacred character of the totemic an—imals Prohibition to eat them, kill
them or pic—k the totemic plants Dif—ferent moderations given these
prohibitions Prohibition of contact The sacred character of the
animalislessmarkedthanthatoftheemblem . . . .128