ABSTRACT
THE common objective feature of all religious behaviour is that it is influenced by some sort of existence that cannot be directly perceived by the senses. It has the same basis as the belief that a man is not simply a visible body, but that he has a mind or spirit, which directs his acts in accordance with purposes. In dealing with men this presupposition is justified by experience. One can usually react more satisfactorily to other persons by interpreting and anticipating what they are doing and what they are going to do, than by reacting to the observed objective movements. The higher animals, plants, forces of nature, and sometimes even stones and other animate objects are treated as if they, too, acted with a purpose.
