Johnathan Bi

Starting from lecture IV, we will move away from psychology and into Girard’s history, beginning with the very first human societies. In times of internal turmoil, these early societies would converge on an innocent victim, attribute to him all the blame, murder this scapegoat in a brutal killing, and achieve peace through violent catharsis. These founding murders gave rise to institutions, cultures, and even gods themselves. Far are we from the comfort of social contracts. Girard’s unsettling conclusion is that peace is built on the corpses of innocent victims. Worldly order demands violence and deceit.Some links to further guide your study:* Join my email list to be notified of future episodes: greatbooks.io* Full transcript: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-of-girard-lecture-iv Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe

In this lecture, we will finish painting the picture of Girardian psychology by understanding mimetic rivalry and negative mimesis. This picture will expose humans as fallen and certain psycho-social pathologies as inevitable: fetishization, alienation, bipolarity, masochism, oppression, and inequity. Girard’s psychology, then, is also a theodicy — an inquiry into the origins of evil. For Girard, evil is not contingent on poorly designed societies but an inevitable consequence of corrupt human nature. We will never escape these pathologies no matter how much social “progress” is made. Girard’s theodicy tampers our expectations of the world and inoculates us against a whole host of, what we can loosely call, critical theories. This is a critique of critique. Some links to further guide your study:* Join my email list to be notified of future episodes: greatbooks.io* Full transcript: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-of-girard-lecture-iii Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe

Mimesis, mimetic desire, and metaphysical desire are the fundamental building blocks of Girard’s psychology. They will show us how even the most intimate aspects of our identity can be radically shaped by others and how to distinguish vanity from authenticity. These psychological fundaments are what make humans social animals, why prestige and recognition matter so much to us, and how we are able to form cultures and even language itself. They are responsible for humanity’s greatest achievements, but they also render us helplessly fallen. Under scrutiny, metaphysical desire will reveal itself to be none other than original sin. Some links to further guide your study:* Join my email list to be notified of future episodes: greatbooks.io* Full transcript: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-of-girard-lecture-ii Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe

David Perel, a passionate moderator of a lecture series on René Girard's mimetic theory, shares his enlightening journey through Girard's transformative work. They dive deep into how mimetic desire shapes our ambitions and societal interactions. Perel discusses the scapegoat mechanism, demonstrating its cyclical nature and influence on group dynamics, while contrasting ancient narratives with contemporary challenges. The conversation highlights the interplay of faith and science, revealing layers of morality and the complexities of human relationships in a modern context.