Imitation is inherent in human behavior as we all imitate others. However, when we notice someone imitating us, it can lead to irritation because we perceive ourselves as authentic. This conflict arises from the struggle to maintain individuality and prevent appropriation. Often, the result of imitation is that individuals become so similar that conflicts emerge when they both desire the same things, as depicted in Shakespearean works.
If you're always imitating others or aspiring to be something else, what's left of the "authentic" you? According to the French philosopher René Girard, not much: Nothing can be truly authentic, he argued--everything comes from somewhere else. This is just one of the many original and counterintuitive claims put forth in Girard's sweeping approach to human history. He argues it is sameness, not our difference that leads to conflict, and he sees religion as a way to contain the chaos as opposed to its first cause. Listen as Stanford University scholar Cynthia Haven speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about Girard's theories of desire and violence. The conversation also includes a discussion of the power of forgiveness to put a stop to conflict's rinse-and-repeat.