The One by Whom Scandal Comes (Studies in Violence, Mimesis & Culture)

“Why is there so much violence in our midst?” René 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 landmark text, Girard continues his study of violence in light of geopolitical competition, focusing on the roots and outcomes of violence across societies latent in the process of globalization. The volume concludes in a wide-ranging interview with the Sicilian cultural theorist Maria Stella Barberi, where Girard’s twenty-first century emphases on the continuity of all religions, global conflict, and the necessity of apocalyptic thinking emerge. "Why is there so much violence in our midst?" René 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 landmark text, Girard continues his study of violence in light of geopolitical competition, focusing on the roots and outcomes of violence across societies latent in the process of globalization. The volume concludes in a wide-ranging interview with the Sicilian cultural theorist Maria Stella Barberi, where Girard's twenty-first century emphases on the continuity of all religions, global conflict, and the necessity of apocalyptic thinking emerge.--Publisher's description Contents A Note on the Translation Preface Part 1. Against Relativism Chapter 1. Violence and Reciprocity Chapter 2. Noble Savages and Others Chapter 3. Mimetic Theory and Theology Part 2. The Other Side of Myth Chapter 4. I See Satan Fall Like Lightning Chapter 5. Scandal and Conversion Chapter 6. I Do Not Pray for the World Chapter 7. The Catholic Church and the Modern World Chapter 8. Hominization and Natural Selection Chapter 9. A Stumbling Block to Jews, Foolishness to Gentiles Chapter 10. Lévi-Strauss on Collective Murder Chapter 11. Positivists and Deconstructionists Chapter 12. How Should Mimetic Theory Be Applied? Notes Index Violence And Reciprocity -- Noble Savages And Others -- Mimetic Theory And Theology -- I See Satan Fall Like Lightning -- Scandal And Conversion -- I Do Not Pray For The World -- The Catholic Church And The Modern World -- Hominization And Natural Selection -- A Stumbling Block To Jews, Foolishness To Gentiles -- Levi-strauss On Collective Murder -- Positivists And Deconstructionists -- How Should Mimetic Theory Be Applied? René Girard ; Translated By M.b. Debevoise. Translated From The French. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.