Animism (from Latin: anima, 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human

Earlier anthropological perspectives, which have since been termed the old animism, were concerned with knowledge on what is alive and what factors make something alive. The old animism assumed that animists were individuals who were unable to understand the

There is ongoing disagreement (and no general consensus) as to whether animism is merely a singular, broadly encompassing religious belief or a worldview in and of itself, comprising many diverse mythologies found worldwide in many diverse

• Anecdotal cognitivism
• Animatism
• Anima mundi
• Ecotheology

Many anthropologists ceased using the term animism, deeming it to be too close to early anthropological theory and religious polemic. However, the term had also been claimed by religious groups—namely Indigenous communities and nature worshippers

Non-human animals
Animism entails the belief that "all living things have a soul", and thus, a central concern of animist

Science
In the early 20th century, William McDougall defended a form of animism in his book Body and Mind: A History and Defence of Animism