Bishop Barron on René Girard
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the life and work of French philosopher René Girard, who is celebrated for his revolutionary theories on human desire and conflict. Girard's concept of mimetic desire, where people imitate the wants of others, often leads to triangular conflicts. This dynamic, he argues, results in the scapegoating mechanism, where a group unites by blaming an outsider for their struggles. Girard's analysis of literature and culture reveals the sacralization of this violence, but he finds Christianity unique as it unmask the scapegoating mechanism, identifying God with the victim rather than the perpetrators. This perspective challenges the common view of Christianity as just another myth, highlighting its role in deconstructing the cycle of violence.
Takeaways
- 🕊️ Rene Girard was a renowned Catholic philosopher who passed away and is expected to be remembered as a Church Father in future centuries.
- 🎓 Girard was a Frenchman, a member of the prestigious French Academy, and made his academic reputation in the United States at institutions like Indiana University, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins.
- 📚 His research started in literature, focusing on the works of Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, and Proust, where he identified a triangular and mimetic dynamic of human desire.
- 🔺 Girard's theory suggests that desires are often imitative, not straightforward, leading to conflicts and the scapegoating mechanism.
- 📈 Advertising and children's behavior exemplify the mimetic desire, where wanting something is influenced by others' desires.
- 🌐 Scapegoating mechanism leads to conflicts and is often unconscious, as people tend to blame others or groups for societal struggles.
- 🤝 This mechanism can create a sense of solidarity and peace when a group unites against a common 'enemy'.
- 📚 Girard observed that myths and literature often sacralize violence and scapegoating, presenting it as a solution to societal problems.
- 📖 In contrast, Girard found the Bible unique as it unmasked the identification between gods and the scapegoating mechanism, siding with the victim rather than endorsing violence.
- 🛐 Girard's insights challenge the view of Christianity as just another myth, instead revealing it as the deconstruction of mythological violence and a true revelation.
Q & A
Who is Rene Girard and what is his significance?
-René Girard was a French-born Catholic philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of anthropology, sociology, and theology. He is noted for his theories on mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism, which he believed are central to human conflict and resolution. His work is considered revolutionary and has had a profound impact on the understanding of human behavior and culture.
What is mimetic desire according to Girard?
-Mimetic desire, as described by Girard, is the idea that human desires are often not direct or spontaneous but are shaped by imitation. We desire something not necessarily because of its intrinsic value but because others desire it, creating a triangular dynamic involving the self, the object of desire, and the model or other person who is desired.
How does advertising often exploit the concept of mimetic desire?
-Advertising frequently uses the principle of mimetic desire by associating products with popular figures or creating a sense of exclusivity and desirability. This encourages consumers to want the product because someone else, often a celebrity or a peer, wants it, tapping into the imitative nature of human desire.
What is the scapegoating mechanism as described by Girard?
-The scapegoating mechanism, according to Girard, is a process where a group or society identifies a common enemy or outsider to blame for their internal conflicts and problems. This act of blaming the 'other' can temporarily unite the group and bring about a sense of peace and solidarity, but it often involves the unjust persecution of the scapegoat.
How does Girard view the role of scapegoating in literature and mythology?
-Girard sees scapegoating as a recurring theme in literature and mythology, often portrayed as a sacred or necessary act that resolves conflict and brings peace. He argues that these narratives sacralize violence and the scapegoating process, presenting it as a solution to societal tensions.
What does Girard find unique about the Bible in relation to the scapegoating mechanism?
-Girard finds the Bible's portrayal of the scapegoating mechanism unique because it unmaskes the identification between the gods and the scapegoating process. Unlike other mythologies, the Bible, particularly in the Christian narrative, identifies God with the victim rather than the persecutors, revealing the dynamics of sacred violence and challenging the idea of violence being sanctioned by the divine.
How does Girard's interpretation of Christianity differ from the mono-myth theory?
-Girard's interpretation of Christianity stands in contrast to the mono-myth theory, which suggests that all religions and mythologies share a common structure. Girard argues that Christianity is not just another iteration of the mono-myth but rather a deconstruction of it, revealing and critiquing the dynamics of sacred violence and scapegoating that other myths often veil.
What is the significance of the story 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson in Girard's theory?
-The story 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson is significant in Girard's theory as it vividly displays the scapegoating mechanism in action. The story illustrates how a community sacralizes violence through an annual ritual that involves the selection and sacrifice of a member, highlighting the collective nature of scapegoating and its role in maintaining social order.
How does Girard's work contribute to the understanding of human conflict?
-Girard's work contributes to the understanding of human conflict by offering a theoretical framework that explains how mimetic desire and the scapegoating mechanism lead to conflict and violence. His theories provide insights into the psychological and social dynamics that underlie human behavior, particularly in situations of tension and strife.
Why might Girard be considered a 'Church Father' in the future?
-Girard might be considered a 'Church Father' in the future because his work offers a profound and original interpretation of Christianity that reclaims its uniqueness and indispensability. At a time when some academics sought to reduce Christianity to a common myth, Girard's theories reinvigorated the understanding of its role in unmasking and critiquing the dynamics of sacred violence and scapegoating.
Outlines
📚 The Legacy of René Girard and Mimetic Desire
The paragraph introduces René Girard, a renowned Catholic philosopher who passed away and is expected to be remembered as a Church Father in the future. Girard was a Frenchman who made significant contributions to academia, particularly in the United States at institutions like the University of Indiana and Stanford University. He is celebrated for his revolutionary ideas on human desire, which he initially explored through literary figures like Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky. Girard proposed that desire is often mimetic and triangular, meaning that people typically want things because others want them, leading to conflicts. This concept is illustrated through examples from advertising and children's behavior. Girard further explained that this dynamic often results in the scapegoating mechanism, where a group or individual is blamed for societal conflicts, providing temporary unity and peace. He observed this mechanism in literature, culture, and even in historical events like wars and dictatorships.
🔍 The Scapegoating Mechanism and Its Impact
This paragraph delves deeper into the scapegoating mechanism, explaining how it operates on an unconscious level and leads to the sacralization of violence in myths and literature. It discusses how this mechanism is used to create a sense of unity and peace by blaming a third party for societal issues. The paragraph references historical examples, such as Hitler's use of scapegoating to consolidate power in Germany. Girard's analysis of the scapegoating mechanism in literature, particularly in Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery,' is highlighted. The paragraph contrasts the common cultural acceptance of sacred violence with Girard's reading of the Bible, which he found to be a unique revelation against the scapegoating mechanism. The Bible, according to Girard, unmasked the false identification of gods with violence and instead identified God with the victim, as seen in the crucifixion of Jesus. This perspective challenges the common view of Christianity as just another iteration of the monom myth and positions it as a deconstruction of such myths, revealing the dynamics that other myths seek to veil.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Rene Girard
💡Mimetic Desire
💡Triangular Desire
💡Scapegoating Mechanism
💡Sacred Violence
💡Apocalypse
💡Mono-myth
💡Fellow Feeling
💡Literary Masters
💡Deconstruction
Highlights
Rene Girard, a renowned Catholic philosopher, passed away and is predicted to be regarded as a Church Father in the future.
Girard was a Frenchman and a member of the prestigious French Academy.
He made his academic reputation in the United States, particularly at Indiana University and later at Stanford University.
Girard's research began in literary studies, focusing on authors like Shakespeare and Dostoevsky.
He introduced the concept of triangular desire, suggesting that human desire is often imitative and not straightforward.
Girard's theory posits that desire is mimetic, leading to conflict due to competition over the same object.
The scapegoating mechanism is identified by Girard as a way to resolve conflicts by blaming a third party.
Girard found that scapegoating often leads to a temporary sense of unity and peace among the group.
The scapegoating mechanism is often sacralized in literature and mythology, presenting it as a positive force.
Girard's reading of the Bible revealed its unique stance against the scapegoating mechanism and sacred violence.
In Christianity, God is depicted as identifying with the victim, not the perpetrators of violence.
Girard's work challenges the view that Christianity is just another iteration of the mono-myth.
He argues that Christianity is the deconstruction of the mono-myth, revealing the dynamics that myths attempt to veil.
Girard's insights are significant for a culture that is becoming increasingly skeptical of religious uniqueness.
His work reclaims Christianity as something uniquely real and essential.
Girard's ideas are expected to have a lasting impact, potentially earning him the title of a Church Father.
Transcripts
[Music]
well just recently one of the great
Catholic philosophers in the world
passed away Renee jirar and I think
jihar will be appreciated as a kind of
Church Father in the centuries that come
um he was a Frenchman born in Aenon uh
member of the academy Franz you know the
most prestigious academic Society
probably the world uh but he made his
reputation here in America at the
University of Indiana he ended up at
Stanford University also taught I think
at John's Hopkins um there are some
academics that um will begal you with
some interesting ideas other academics
who will shake your world and I think
gerar belongs in that second Camp uh one
of these thinkers that uh had an idea
that that was really
revolutionary his research began in the
literary field uh people like
Shakespeare and Doki and PR especially
and he found in these
writers a
dynamic of human desire what he found
was that desire is often triangular and
memetic a fancy way of saying something
really quite simple that we rarely
desire things in a straightforward way
that's good I want it because some of
it's properties normally typically we
desire things in a mimetic way an
imitative way I want that because you
want it I'm imitating your desire you're
imitating my desire you see now why I
say triangular it's myself the object
and another set up a triangular and
memetic um Dynamic if this sounds
abstract um it's not look at um
advertising most advertising Works
according to this ardian principle how
come I want that U pair of gym shoes
because of its intrinsic worth and value
well maybe partially but largely because
the NBA star over there also wants those
gym shoes advertising is predicated upon
a triangular and mimetic U
desire also look at the way any little
kids uh if there's a bunch of toys over
here and a kid's playing happily with a
ball or something and then Along Comes a
second toddler and he wants something
from that pile immediately suddenly this
kid wants it too it was a matter of
utter indifference until the other
toddler wanted it a triangular memetic
uh Dynamic okay what do that lead to
well it tends to lead jar said to
conflict and again watch it with any uh
toddlers or watch it with dictator a
wants access to the Sea and suddenly
dictator B wants the same access to the
Sea and outbreaks a war see so from
mimic triangular desire tends to come
conflict what this leads to is what
Gerard called the scapegoating mechanism
he found this too in the great literary
master ERS what's a scapegoating
mechanism when I say mechanism I imply
with him it's largely unconscious that's
something that we're consciously aware
of I tend to find someone or some group
to blame I'll say he's responsible she's
responsible or they're responsible for
the the struggles that we're having and
I often find someone a little bit
different strange looking strange
sounding from a different place or
something and I will project onto that
person all of the struggle that's caused
by mtic triangular desire and in the
process what happens is we do come
together in a sort of urat piece so as
as together we blame this third party we
at least for a moment experience a rush
of solidarity and a rush of um of peace
there's the scapegoating
mechanism uh watch uh this Dynamic
everywhere one you see it uh I remember
when I was going through grad school I
heard this phrase for the first time
that the only thing that two academics
can agree on is how poor the work of a
third academic is so academics of course
famously disagree but they'll come
together by saying isn't his work
terrible or watch the way people talk to
each other we'll talk about anod things
for a while but then pretty quickly we
turn to gossiping and to blaming and
there is a real kind of gamish kite that
German call it a fellow feeling that
happens when we come together to blame a
third party that's the scapegoating
mechanism now on the grandest and most
nefarious scale look to Hitler who at a
time when Germany was marked by all
kinds of interior
tensions effectively exploited the
scapegoating mechanism to say well who's
responsible for our economic struggles
our cultural struggles our political or
military struggles it's the Jews the
Jews who stab Us in the back the Jews
who undermined us during World War I Etc
and so what did he do is he created an
extraordinary fellow feeling among his
fellow Germans by exploiting precisely
the scapegoating mechanism now one more
step precisely because it has this
effect of bringing us together and
seemingly solving the problem the
scapegoating mechanism in our literature
and mythology tends to be sacralized we
tend to say it's a good thing
and God or the gods smile upon it do you
want to see this on Vivid literary
display go get Shirley Jackson's
Masterpiece short story The Lottery that
we all read in high school I won't go
into details but go find it or maybe
recall that story there's the gerardi
dynamic on full display scapegoating uh
which has been sacralized by a community
to produce uh
peace press it further now gerar says in
most of the myths of the world across
the cultures across the centuries what
you'll find is precisely the
sacralization of violence sacred
violence sacred scapegoating the gods
smiling upon it okay okay he saw all of
that in the great literary Masters he
saw it repeated culturally and all of it
and
then he read the Bible and the Bible
which you know he had been raised a
Catholic but had kind of Fallen away
from the practice of the faith the Bible
took his breath away now why
because he saw that the Bible knew all
of this the Bible knew all these
Dynamics everything in Doki Shakespeare
and PR of course they they learned it
from their Christian tradition uh it was
in the Bible but the Bible had something
else the Bible had something new because
the Bible
unmasked the identification between the
gods and the scapegoating mechanism it
unmasked the mythology of sacred
violence because in the Christian
telling
God is Not on the side of the
scapegoats god identifies with the
scapegoated victim so Jesus
crucifying is not God sanctioning
violence but God unmasking and revealing
the Dynamics of sacred violence think in
the passion narratives of Caiaphas right
typical religious leader jar would say
who says look wouldn't it be better for
one person to die than for the whole
nation to be destroyed there it is
there's the scapegoating mechanism
typically sanctioned by a high religious
figure the fact that Caiaphas is at
Cross purposes to the god of Israel the
true God that's a revelation right
that's an apocalypse that just means
taking the veil away something's been
pulled away like The Wizard of Oz
pulling the veil and revealing what's
really going on Gerard thinks that's
what happens in Christianity and why it
alone functions as a true
Revelation now here's the thing I find
really interesting when I was coming of
age uh it was very common within eadem
to see Christianity if you took it
seriously at all as one more iteration
of the great monom myth now look at
someone like Joseph Campbell you know
whom I rever in many ways but Campbell
who studies the great myths of the world
you know across the cultures across time
and seees certain fundamental Dynamics
what's Christianity it's one more
telling of the great myth you know the
mono myth the one great myth that's told
over and over again the one song that's
sung in a thousand accents what did
girar show us he showed us that no no
that's getting it backwards Christianity
is not one more iteration of the monom
myth Christianity is the deconstruction
of the monom myth it's an unveiling of
the Dynamics that the myths want to
Veil and in that he shows the uniqueness
and indispensability of
Christianity to a time to a culture that
was becoming very skeptical of that um
of that uniqueness you see now why I
think renear will be seen perhaps one
day as a church father because at a time
when a lot of academics wanted to defang
and domesticate Christianity he
reclaimed it as something uniquely re at
[Music]
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