The Laws of Imitation |
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acts æsthetic analogies ancient animal archæology assimilation become belief cause century characteristic Christianity civilisation classes common consequently contradictions copy custom desire discovery distinct dogma Egypt Empire Etruscan evolution example exist explained expression fashion ferme générale feudal former France Gallo-Romans Gaul genius geometrical progression given gradual Greece Greek habit heredity historian human ical imita individual industry innovations inventions kind language latter laws of imitation less living types logical means ment merely Merovingian Middle Ages mind modern morality mutual nation nature observation ologist organisation origin origin of species period philosophic physical point of view political preceding prestige primitive progress propagation protoplasm question race reason recognise relations religion religious repetition reproduction resemblances Roman Roman Empire social facts society sociological somnambulist species spite spread statistics superior thing tion true tween vibrations vital whereas word
Popular passages
Page 77 - The social like the hypnotic state is only a form of dream, a dream of command and a dream of action," Tarde noted. "Both the somnambulist and the social man are possessed by the illusion that their ideas, all of which have been suggested to them, are spontaneous.
Page 81 - ... Hero-worship to be the grand modifying element in that ancient system of thought. What I called the perplexed jungle of Paganism sprang, we may say, out of many roots : every admiration, adoration of a star or natural object, was a root or fibre of a root ; but Heroworship is the deepest root of all ; the tap-root, from which in a great degree all the rest were nourished and grown.
Page 199 - In the sixteenth century fashions in dress came into France from Spain. This was because Spanish literature had already been imposed upon us [the French] at the time of Spain's preeminence. In the seventeenth century, when the preponderance of France was established, French literature ruled over Europe, and subsequently French arts and French fashions made the tour of the world.
Page 296 - The civilization of New England has been like a beacon lit upon a hill, which, after it has diffused its warmth around, tinges the distant horizon with its glow.
Page 14 - All resemblances of social origin in society are the direct or indirect fruit of the various forms of imitation, — customimitation or fashion-imitation, sympathy-imitation or obedienceimitation, precept-imitation or education-imitation, naive imitation, deliberate imitation, etc.
Page 81 - ... runs through all ancient tradition and authentic history of the first gathering and amalgamation, whether of men into a tribe, or of tribes into a kingdom or empire. To borrow Carlyle's words, the perplexed jungle of primitive society springs out of many roots, but the hero is the tap-root from which in a great degree all the rest were nourished and grown. In Europe, where the landmarks of nationalities are fixed, and the fabric of civilisation firmly entrenched, people are often inclined to...
Page 253 - ... itself: . . . imitation which was at first custom-imitation and then fashion-imitation, turns back again to custom, but under a form that is singularly enlarged and precisely opposite to its first form. In fact, primitive custom obeys, whereas custom in its final stage commands, generation. The one is the exploitation of a social by a living form; the other, the exploitation of a living by a social...