Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, The

A problem that has aroused the interest of philospohers in all ages-- a problem of interest to all humanity-- concerns the definition of the origin and nature of religion. In this classic study of primitive religion, Emile Durkheim, one of the founders of modern sociology, examines religion in society in terms of animism, naturism, totemism, myth, and ritual. Thus he takes up again the question of religion, which for him means discerning the ever-present elements that underlie the essential forms of religious thought and practice.