Editing Animism (section)

== Etymology ==
English anthropologist Sir [[Edward Burnett Tylor|Edward Tylor]] initially wanted to describe the phenomenon as spiritualism, but he realized that it would cause confusion with the modern religion of [[Spiritualism (movement)|spiritualism]], which was then prevalent across Western nations.{{sfn|Harvey|2005|p=7}} He adopted the term animism from the writings of German scientist [[Georg Ernst Stahl]],{{sfn|Harvey|2005|p=5}} who had developed the term ''{{lang|la|animismus}}'' in 1708 as a [[biology|biological]] theory that souls formed the [[vital principle]], and that the normal phenomena of life and the abnormal phenomena of disease could be traced to spiritual causes.{{sfn|Harvey|2005|pp=3–4}}

The origin of the word comes from the Latin word {{Lang|la|anima}}, which means ''life'' or ''soul.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Animism - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms |url=https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/animism |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Vocabulary.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

The first known usage in English appeared in 1819.{{sfn|Bird-David|1999|pp=S67–S68}}