Page "Animism" Paragraph 6

According to Tylor, animism often includes " an idea of pervading life and will in nature "; i. e., a belief that natural objects other than humans have souls.

As a self-described " confirmed scientific rationalist ", Tylor believed that this view was " childish " and typical of " cognitive underdevelopment ", and that it was therefore common in " primitive " peoples such as those living in hunter gatherer societies.