Primitive Culture And The Golden Bough Analysis

E.B. Tylor and James George Frazer are both widely known for their influential works regarding that of religion, namely “Primitive Culture” and “The Golden Bough” accordingly. Both of these nineteenth century intellectualists took a new approach to studying religion in terms of science, something that was almost unheard of in their time. Coining the term himself, E.B. Tylor introduced ethnological studies as a method of describing, comparing and scientifically analyzing the characteristics of different societies and cultures. Applying this method to his examination of religion, Tylor wished to address the subject as objectively as he could to provide answers that were as definite as laws of nature being discovered by science. Some years later …show more content…
The complex network of knowledge, beliefs, customs, myths, and other ___ should be accounted for, with no area unconsidered. With this Tylor aims to find patterns or laws present in every culture, regardless of their stage in evolution, and asserts two axioms. The first is what he called psychic unity, or the unity of mental structure in mankind that affords every human the ability to think under the principles of rationale and logic, and leads to individual developments of similar traits and institutions (Introducing Religion, 2). This means that any man at any point in evolution was afforded the basics of intelligence, even the “primitive” man. For Tylor, the most primitive but rational way of thinking was via association of ideas. In this way of thinking, “primitive” man concluded that association in thought must mean a similar connection in reality. Hence, when the first generations of humans were shadowed by two common occurrences, death and dreams, the association of ideas led them to their only logical explanation. In death, life seems to separate from the body and in dreams, life appears as some sort of mirrored image, like vapour or a phantom. The most logical and rational thing to do then as a “savage philosopher” would be to combine the two; a personal soul that mirrors the body and animates it from within was the product of primitive man trying to understand the world with was logic he had. Tylor presumes that this led to animism- the belief in souls (in humans, animals, plants, and other certain objects) and a future state which in full development encompassed controlling deities and subordinate spirits, resulting in active worship (Intro. Religion, 11). To Tylor, this is most basic and “primitive” form of religion. His second axiom goes on to further his theory in regards to social evolutionism. The pattern of