Civilised Minds.
“The Greek ‘daemon’ denotes a supernatural being that stands midway between gods and men. He may be good or bad.. All the beliefs .. take their rise in the primitive and instinctive impulse of human beings to interpret what they see outside of themselves in terms of their own personality.. As man, in the wildness of unrestrained imagination, looks forth upon rivers and stars, he pictures them as living just as he is living.. but what he discerns is.. only the reflection of his own face.. This child-like theory of animation of all nature lies at the root of what we call mythology.. The proof of animism lies in its prevalence amongst existing savage races, who may be considered as occupying that level of culture at which the most civilised race once was..” “Magic, Divination and Demonology Amongst the Hebrews and Their Neighbours”, T. Wittom Davies, Ktav pub, 1898, reprinted 1969. Pp7-11.
Ah, the simplistic arrogance of the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. Before Freud and Jung and Hillman, before radioactivity and tv and VR and morphic resonance. And the careless destruction of the environment.
Mahatma Gandhi, in answer to the question, what he thought about Western Civilisation, replied, ‘I think it would be a very good idea’.