
Lecture VII: The One Who Withholds | René Girard's Mimetic Theory
Johnathan Bi
00:00
The Philosophy of Punishment Is Guilt
In rights, the focus of punishment is the wronged party so that he can get his cathartic release. Gerard naturally draws a somewhat relativistic conclusion on modern conceptions of justice as punishing the guilty party. Our penal system operates according to principles of justice that are in no real conflict with the concept of revenge. The same principle is at work in all systems of violent retribution. Either the principle is just and justice is inherent in the idea of vengeance or there is no justice to be found anywhere.
Transcript
Play full episode