Man and his Superstitions

First published in 1925, as the second edition of a 1920 original, this book discusses the relationship between superstition and the development of human societies. The essential argument is that superstitious ideas were formed as a means of maintaining cohesive social groups once hunting in packs had ceased to become the main form of livelihood. Order was no longer maintained through the personal superiority of the pack-leader, but was sanctioned by a collective belief in the magical powers of certain figures. This volume will be of value to anyone with an interest in anthropology, and the social origins of magic and animism.