“YOU ARE NEVER ALONE IN NATURE!” ANTHROPOMORPHISM, ANIMISM AND RATIONALITY ANCIENT
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2020-09-28

The philosopher and culture historian, Nina Witoszek claims that Norwegian culture, from the most ancient sources (“Edda”) until modern eco-philosophical movements and trends, is permeated with deep and persona (“animistic”) relationships with nature; yet at the same time is a culture that has strict rationality as a basic value. – These two memes, “animism” and “rationalism” may appear contradictory. Based on human perception and cognition, I will argue that they are not. – Face recognition is a fundamental humancapacity, (and prosopagnosia is a serious condition). Face-recognition underlies the common phenomenon of pareidolia (that one
“sees faces” in inanimate objects). Pareidolia, in addition to projection, is the basis for anthropomorphism and animist attitudes toinanimate objects in nature: attributing them with human traits. When it comes to animals, the situation is different. As animals and humans have many capacities and characteristics in common, “anthropomorphism” and “animism” are inaccurate term. Animals do resemble humans and do have animae. “Antropomorphism” is here more of an approximate term. – So, there are rational reasons based in human cognition, perception and experience for what we call “anthropomorphism” and “animism”. – I will present examples

from Norwegian nature and landscapes illustrating pareidolia; and I will present examples from Norwegian culture illustrating the strong animist-rationalist connection in art from the Migration period, Viking age, Medieval age, and the Twentieth century.


Author(s): Lindstrom, Torill Christine (Dept of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen; SapienCE, Centre for early Sapiens Behaviour, CoE)