ANTHROP 2R03 Lecture Notes - Totem, Complex Number, William Robertson Smith
4 Apr 2013
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What is sacrifice? the ideas are not as important as the actions. The act of killing something/someone to honour a higher power (ancestors, god, etc:) Builds theory around sacrifice reasoning is more of a question of after-the-fact rationalization culture is governed by non-rational forces. Phenomenon grounded in arbitrary social conventions that exist to keep people in their place. Humans are selfish, governed by their drives (food, sex, power) culture keeps people good, from being too selfish see lecture slides. Redirecting individuals energies toward survival at the social (collective) level variable culture is not seamless, human nature can occasionally be glimpsed ie marriage; channels sexual drives into socially acceptable behaviour but some people still cheat (fissure) Lectures on the religion of the semites study of the ritual sacrifice and its meaning lays out the theory of ritual. Development of religion according to 3 stages. Origin of religious thought comes about when people come about body/soul distinction.
