Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di Le forme elementari della vita religiosa
A chi è rivolto
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.
Che cos’è questo libro
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life is a book by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim, published in 1912. It asks a blunt question. What is religion, and why has every human society had one? Durkheim wrote it near the end of his career, after years of building sociology into a university subject. He wanted to show that a social science could say something solid about the most private-seeming part of human life.
His method is to look at the simplest religion he can find. He turns to the Aboriginal clans of Australia, known to him through the reports of other researchers, and to the system of totems that organizes their sacred life. From this small case he draws a large claim. Religion, he argues, is the way a group worships itself, and the sacred is society seen through symbols.
In about fifteen minutes you will get the main line of the book. You will hear how he defines religion, why he rejects older theories, what he finds among the clans, and how he links souls, rites and even logic to group life. You will also hear where critics have pushed back. Let us begin with the problem of definition, because Durkheim insists that nothing else can be done until it is solved.
In questo riassunto
- 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
Punto chiave 1 di 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 or in supernatural beings. He points out that some great religions, such as early Buddhism, have no god at the centre. A definition built on gods would leave them out.
His replacement rests on a split in the world. On one side stand sacred things, which are set apart and forbidden. On the other side stands the profane, the ordinary business of daily life. The two are not just different. They are opposed, and the line between them is guarded by rules about touch, speech and conduct.
A sacred thing need not be a god. It can be a rock, a tree, a spring, a pebble, a word or a person. What makes it sacred is the way people treat it and the respect it demands. Anything can cross the line, and once it does, it changes in kind.
From this Durkheim builds his formal definition. A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relating to sacred things, and it unites all who follow it into one moral community, which he calls a church. The last part matters most to him. Religion is never only a private feeling, because it always belongs to a group.
This gives him a test that can be applied anywhere. Look for the sacred, look for the rites, and look for the community that holds them. It also sets up his whole argument. If religion is always collective, the next question is whether the group itself might be the source of the sacred.
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 Le forme elementari della vita 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.