How Scholars Invented the Category of Animism | Kwame Appiah

Philosopher Kwame Appiah argues that grouping all non-Western faiths into a single box like "animism" is problematic, as even Abrahamic faiths believe in "invisible beings" like angels and spirits—a core feature of what scholars call animism. It challenges us to rethink how we categorize the world's diverse religious beliefs.

Kwame Appiah is a professor of philosophy and law at New York University. Over his long career he has written about topics including political philosophy, ethics, literature, African and African-American studies. As the author of more than 20 books, his notable works include Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers and The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen. His newest book, and the subject of our conversation today, is entitled Captive Gods: Religion and the Rise of Social Science. Kwame was also recently featured in an episode of Wisdom Keepers, a PBS show exploring life’s fundamental questions.

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