Another great teacher, René Girard.
Here in this podcast, a wonderful offering from Stanford University.
“Entitled Opinions” is a podcast that I have totally enjoyed and consumed on my mobile bliss station.
In these two particular episodes, the host Robert Harrison discusses Mimetic Desire with René Girard.
Please consider also listening to the second discussion about scapegoats and sacrifice.
Listen here:
René Girard: Mimetic Desire, Why We Want What We Want
René Girard: On ritual sacrifice and the scapegoat
Mimetic Desire: (my notes to myself)
Self-knowledge is to know one’s desires. To try to understand why we desire what we desire.
Mimetic Desire is to focus desire through the eyes of others.
Needs and desire are different. We do not imitate needs only desires.
Antagonism and rivalry are key to mimetic desire.
Conformity demands, wishing others to desire what we desire, to confirm the validity of our choices, through conformity.
Advertising agencies incite mimetic desire.
The negative games of desire and the fear of those who may take the objects of your desire.
Imitation, mimetic desire in football for example. Football fans always envy, desire what their successful rival have.
Or, a person from one nationality imitating enjoying, desiring, being from another nationality
Pride and vanity, winning at all cost is what many people are driven to by mimetic desire.
Mimetic Desire not object or subjective but inter-subjective, transjective.
Our blindness to see the denial of our own being, when we are driven by mimetic desire.
Advertising not based on objectivity but based on who you want to be. The product in advertising becomes a eucharist that will transform you into who you want to be.
Great insights like when Girard says “The more mimetic rivalry you have with someone, the more different you feel from that person, and whereas in reality, you always do the same thing…”
The futility of vengeance and revenge. The stupidity of mimetic desire, the tragedy of human behaviour, we are resistant to learning from our mistakes.
Wisdom is that breakthrough to free oneself from mimetic desire in certain situations. Love and hate it is a thin line. Mimetic desire is everywhere…
Geopolitical, mimetic desire of nations, endless, reciprocal violence. old traps of succeeding at the expense of others, war is imitating your enemy, the mimetic game of tech envy in war, leading to total war.
René Girard’s goal is spiritual at base to teach humanity the perils of mimetic desire.
