Why René Girard
Lecture 1
As a deep, inquisitive explorer in the world of philosophy, I have studied some great thinkers in the past, most recently touching on works such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson back at the beginning of 2022. One philosopher, perhaps more applicable to the world today, is by the name of René Girard. Having discovered him before my cultivating interset in philosopher, he - at first - stood out to me. Not because of his seemingly revolutionary beliefs, but because of how applicable it was to my life. So much so that it took hold of the many things I believed were to be true, confronting them, and challenging me to question values I have clung to for so long. Girard didn’t only challenge me intellectually, but spiritually - especially in the world of Christianity, the meaning behind the birth of Christ, and the coming days of final judgment - the Second Coming of Christ, described in the Book of Revelations.
Some Girardian believers put their journey of coming to Girard quite accurately - not a journey of leisure strolling and by chance landing on the teachings of Girard, but more of a desperate struggle from a personal existential crisis, in the middle of a seemingly endless battle of morality. And if you are feeling this way, I suggest you probe closer to his philosophy. You don’t have to agree with what he believes in, but I’m certain that many may find his teachings quite fascinating and striking. Girardians do warn that there is a fair price in engaging with Girard’s philosopher. After studying with him at Stanford, Peter Thiel, a famous supporter of Girard’s works and tech investor, claims, “Girard’s ideas are a portal onto the past, human origins, and our history. It’s a portal onto the present and onto the interpersonal dynamics of psychology. There was almost a cult-like element where you have these people who were followers of Girard and it was a sense that we had figured out the truth about the world in a way nobody else did.”
Girard allows one to see secrets - hidden crevices here and there - no one else or few can see. It does come at a price. When his ideas latch on to your worldview, you will then realize that history, the present times, and possibly the future, are littered with his theories. And I must say, that he is quite accurate. You will also realize the true importance of Christianity. It is not who many think it is - Christianity has changed so much of the world. Girard has challenged me to take a second chance at Christianity - to once again dive into its intellectual & spiritual foresight, principles, and advice that so much of our society today is rooted in.
Girard’s central philosophy is based on his Mimetic Theory. He claimed that humans are naturally imitative and engage in imitative-oriented activities, known as mimesis. This is what, he believes, separates us from other animals. Our ability to naturally imitate is something no other species has. After all, we are fundamentally social creatures, as Girard states. It is the greatest blessing, yet the greatest curse. Girardians have noted that understanding Mimetic Theory does not make one stop mimesis altogether. We will always be under mimesis, whether we like it or not. However, such understanding will allow us to be more aware of the hidden forces around us, so should we take in such mimetic activities, will be up to us to decide. It will also come to understand that many of the fields of research we take part in - psychology, history, economics, politics, etc. - are deeply rooted in the heart of Mimetic Theory. Over my series of posts on Girard, I will bring in examples portraying the theory in action.
Back onto how one discovers Girard? Well, from my standpoint at least, it was from academia. Some Girardians I have also come to discover his philosophy from academia. Is there a common pattern? Well, one said, being a top student at Columbia University, that his experience was like “ending up in a zoo with two thousand other, hyper-conscious, status-oriented, prestige-seeking teenagers. Allegedly, some of America’s smartest & most ‘independent’ kids all end up after college wanting to go into 4 fields: finance, tech, law, and medicine.” One word he said that represented what he felt - and I’m sure others in academia do, too - is “hollowness.” A hollowness - especially among the top students of a school - where many would deliberately lie to themselves that the path to prestige was the right choice. A lack of genuine desire to do something, but desires that merely bounced off from one another. A lack of what is morally right, but an abundance of what ‘seems’ right. Don’t underestimate the potential mimetic conflict in elite universities - I haven’t experienced it, but I have heard many stories about it.
Humans are prestige-seeking. It is inbuilt in all of us, mimetically. To seek prestige means to engage in unhealthy mimetic behavior, transfusing into a cycle of envy, jealousy, and resentment towards others. Imagine a bucket full of crabs, all trying to get out. One tries to climb out, but others drag it back in. It’s never-ending. Prestige fogs human reason and logic. We’re all susceptible to that. What is the most frightening is when it is too late to reverse the path that we took. There are certainly those who have ventured onto the path of prestige for far too long and have suffered tremendous consequences that came along with them. They may look like they achieved it all in life - ‘the right career, the right group of friends/partner, the right car, the right house, the right place to live, etc.’ - but it is merely an illusion. Thiel describes this phenomenon after dropping out of a ‘prestigious’ law school: “On the outside, everybody wanted to get in. On the inside, everybody wanted to get out.” Think The Great Gatsby. How many of those were genuinely happy in life, but were only trying to 'seem’ happy through an endless accumulation of material wealth in order to impress others?
Girard, contrary to some beliefs, is not only pertaining to individual life. His ideas are all-encompasing, to the world around us, too, and he believes everything to be ultimately tied back to the world of Christinianity. One Girardian highlighted Girard’s ideas used in the Sino-American (China & United States) relationship. In 2007, during the height of Sino-American prosperity - in terms of economic growth & political stability which many people believed such relationships were only to get better - Girard took the opposite stance, claiming that such a relationship would only deteriorate from that point on. Why? He understood the power of mimesis, that mimetic conflict is more likely when two entities are more similar, not more different. China & the United States were becoming more aligned in terms of how global trade and economic globalization were to be executed. Well, if you check Sino-American relations now, unfortunately, Girard is spot on. There is more to this story - as it fits into the whole Christian perspective - but it will be discussed in further posts.
Of course, one example may not be sufficient for one to engage with Girard. Let me provide more. Take Romulus & Remus. Both were similar in many ways (having been twins and raised by a wolf), but when it came to deciding where to build Rome (what they both desired), mimetic conflict bursts, and Romulus kills Remus. Take another example: the story of Cain & Abel. Their similarities lie in the fact that they were both brothers to Adam & Eve and that when God favored Abel’s sacrifice more, Cain, out of jealously (one of the common feelings that stem from mimetic conflict), killed his brother. This was because both desired the same thing - to win favor over God.
Girard’s philosophy is all around us, whether we are aware of it working in our very lives today or not. I must end with a disclaimer, however, and it is that his teachings will open up your worldview and have the potential to shift it to a radically different perspective. It is up to you whether you choose to engage in such a philosophy. And of course, I am open to discussing such ideas - after all, sometimes the best way to tackle philosophy and challenging text is with others (one small detail my 11th grade English class taught me)! And lastly, please feel free to express your thoughts in the comments. I would love to engage with them and have a conversation down below. :)
If you’d like to look further into Girard’s teachings, I highly suggest the following Girardians and thinkers: Johnathan Bi and David Perell. They were the very first teachers when I discovered Girard, so all the credit goes to them for this and all my future posts on René Girard.