Why is there so much violence in our midst? Rene Girard asks. No question is more debated today. And none produces more disappointing answers. In Girard s mimetic theory it is the imitation of someone else s desire that gives rise to conflict whenever the desired object cannot be shared. This mimetic rivalry, Girard argues, is responsible for the frequency and escalating intensity of human conflict. For Girard, human conflict comes not from the loss of reciprocity between humans but from the transition, imperceptible at first but then ever more rapid, from good to bad reciprocity. In this...

In this lively series of conversations with writer Michel Treguer, Rene Girard revisits the major concepts of mimetic theory and explores science, democracy, and the nature of God and freedom. Girard affirms that our unprecedented present is incomprehensible without Christianity. Globalization has unified the world, yet civil war and terrorism persist despite free trade and economic growth. Because of mimetic desire and the rivalry it generates, asserts Girard, whether we re talking about marriage, friendship, professional relationships, issues with neighbors or matters of national unity,...