Resumen
Resumen de Las formas elementales de la vida religiosa
Para quién es
For readers curious about why rituals bind people together, and students of sociology, anthropology and religion who enjoy exploring sacred symbols, ceremonies and the life of groups.
De qué trata este libro
What if the gods people pray to are really a picture of the people praying? In 1912 the French sociologist Émile Durkheim asks a blunt question. What is religion, and why has every society had one? He turns to the Aboriginal clans of Australia and their totems, known to him through the reports of other researchers. From that small case he draws a large claim. Religion is the way a group worships itself, and the sacred is society seen through symbols.
En este resumen
- 1Define religion by the sacred, not godsFree
- 2Older theories of religion fall short
- 3Study the simplest society to find essentials
- 4Totemism ties each clan to a sacred emblem
- 5The sacred force is the clan itself
- 6Souls and spirits grow from social life
- 7Rites renew the group through shared fervor
- 8Logic and science grow out of religion
- 9The theory has been praised and challenged
Idea clave 1 de 9
Define religion by the sacred, not gods
Durkheim begins by clearing away a common idea. Many people think religion means belief in a god. But some great religions, such as early Buddhism, have no god at the centre. So he builds his definition on a split in the world between the sacred and the profane.
Sacred things are set apart and forbidden. They can be a rock, a tree, a word or a person. What makes them sacred is the respect people give them. The profane is the ordinary business of daily life.
A religion, he says, is a unified system of beliefs and practices around sacred things, and it unites its followers into one moral community. Religion is never only a private feeling, because it always belongs to a group.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 223,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 14 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Las formas elementales de la vida religiosa
What is The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life about?
It is a study of the origins and nature of religion. Durkheim examines Aboriginal totemism in Australia and argues that religion expresses the life of society, so the sacred is the group's own power seen through symbols.
What does Durkheim mean by sacred and profane?
The sacred means things set apart and forbidden, treated with special respect. The profane is ordinary daily life. Durkheim says all religions divide the world this way, and that any object can become sacred.
What is collective effervescence?
It is the surge of shared energy and emotion that people feel when they gather for a ceremony. Durkheim says this feeling gives rise to the sense of a higher power and renews the bonds of the group.
Why did Durkheim study Aboriginal Australians?
He believed their clan religion was the simplest known, so its essentials would be easiest to see. He never visited Australia and relied on reports by other researchers, which later critics have questioned.
Is The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life hard to read?
No. The book follows one clear line of argument, starting with a plain question: what is religion? Each part then builds on the last, from the definition to the Australian clans and their totems, so you always know where you are.