What is Mimetic Theory? Philosophies of René Girard with Luke Burgis

“Girard discovered that we come to desire many things not through biological drives or pure reason, nor as a decree of our illusory and sovereign self, but through imitation.”

For Girard, there are two branches of motivational forces of human natureMetaphysical desire (identity) Physical desire (aims at experience)

Girard discovered that most of what we desire is mimetic (mi-met-ik) or imitative, not intrinsic. Humans learn—through imitation—to want the same things other people want, just as they learn how to speak the same language and play by the same cultural rules. Imitation plays a far more pervasive role in our society than anyone had ever openly acknow

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