Definitions for "Animism"
Keywords:  inanimate, belief, soul, spirit, alive
The doctrine, taught by Stahl, that the soul is the proper principle of life and development in the body.
The belief that inanimate objects and the phenomena of nature are endowed with personal life or a living soul; also, in an extended sense, the belief in the existence of soul or spirit apart from matter.
The incorrect belief that a spirit or soul resides in every object, whether animate or inanimate. For example, animals, trees and stones are all said to have spirits living in them.