For when a nation becomes civilized, if it does not drop hu… - James George Frazer

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For when a nation becomes civilized, if it does not drop human sacrifices altogether, it at least selects as victims only such wretches as would be put to death at any rate. Thus the killing of a god may sometimes come to be confounded with the execution of a criminal.

James George Frazer

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About James George Frazer

Sir James George Frazer (January 1, 1854 – May 7, 1941) was a Scottish social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion. He is often considered one of the founding fathers of modern anthropology.

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Native Name: Sir James George Frazer

Alternative Names: J. G. Frazer • James Frazer • J.G. Frazer

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Francis Bacon David Hume Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Paine Thomas Carlyle

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The advance of knowledge is an infinite progression towards a goal that ever recedes.

If their king is their god, he is or should be also their preserver; and if he will not preserve them, he must make room for another who will.

It may be suspected that the custom of employing a divine man or animal as a public scapegoat is much more widely diffused than appears from the examples cited.

For when a nation becomes civilized, if it does not drop human sacrifices altogether, it at least selects as victims only such wretches as would be p… - James George Frazer

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