Stone Age Beliefs and Worldview

Survival and Empirical Knowledge

• Stone Age people distinguished between harmful and beneficial substances through experience.
• Their understanding of the world was based on empirical observations crucial for survival.

Worldview and Social Perception

• Viewed themselves as the center of the universe, perceiving the world as flat and small.
• Referred to themselves as 'the people' and considered strangers as less human or different creatures.

Animism and Spiritual Beliefs

• Believed in acquiring spirits or qualities by consuming flesh of strong animals or parts of a deceased leader.
• Considered celestial bodies like the sun and moon as animate beings.
• Attributed spirits to rocks, assuming recognizable shapes were linked to human spirits.
• Saw no clear distinction between spirit and materiality, hence preserving corpses was believed to preserve spirits.

Will and Movement

• Associated movement with will, believing insects, plants, celestial bodies moved by will.
• Identified will with spirit and considered the world filled with spirits or gods.

Spirits and Natural Phenomena

• Believed in gods within natural elements like wind, rivers, ocean, sun, etc.
• Reflections in water were seen as spirits.
• Attributed natural events like lightning, thunder, rain, tides, procreation, and fire to spirits and magic.

Mythology and Storytelling

• Storytelling was used to make sense of the world, blurring fact and fantasy.
• Creation myths varied across societies with different narratives like creation from Earth or trees.

Magic and Religious Rituals

• Believed in their ability to perform magic akin to gods.
• Early religious rituals were efforts at magic through imitation (e.g., painting pregnant bellies to encourage birth).

Cultural Limitations

• Hunter-gatherers focused on survival, believing the world would remain unchanged.
• Lacked concepts of social progress or advanced human capabilities.
• Cultural limitations restricted the imagination even among those with potential genius.

Conclusion

• The worldview and culture of the Stone Age people were shaped by their environment and survival needs, limiting the development of modern society.