Final answer:
Animism is the belief that all things, including both living entities and inanimate objects, have a spiritual essence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary belief of animism is that all things, including living entities like plants and animals, as well as inanimate objects and natural phenomena, possess a spiritual essence or supernatural element. Animism is considered a fundamental religious view, often seen as a precursor to more complex religious systems. British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor described animism as the earliest form of religious practice and suggested that spiritual experiences, such as dreaming, form the basis for its beliefs.