RLG100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Edward Burnett Tylor, Archaic Humans, Totem
Document Summary
Last time: 19th century was interested in various kinds of questions. 19th century was concerned, in various domains, with origins of things. This in uenced the approaches that emerge vis a vis religion. Emergence of modern disciplines of study (anthropology, sociology). Frazier and the mystery of the unexplained - magic (with scienti c explanations, we shouldn"t need religion). Muller and the vedas (earliest text produced) in sanskrit(indian texts, hinduism) said there religion is a disease of language because we express ourselves through language, religion emerges in this early linguistic expression. Ancient human religious practices evolved through our ignorance of the way the world works. A sociologist by the name emile durkheim, is the father of sociology (emerges in 19th century). Sociology approaches the subject of religion with different questions. Anthropology is interested in nding out the root of emergence, but sociology asks what is it"s function in society. His views on religion are captured by the concept of.
