Sublime

Models are people or things that show us what is worth wanting. It is models—not our “objective” analysis or central nervous system—that shape our desires. With these models, people engage in a secret and sophisticated form of imitation that Girard termed mimesis (mi-mee-sis), from the Greek word mimesthai (meaning “to imitate”).

The French social philosopher Jean-Pierre Dupuy, in response to Girard, describes advertising very rightly as an intrinsic “paradox.” For, Dupuy says, the “paradise of non-imitation” can only be achieved “thanks to imitation.”

Der Antrieb, der hinter dieser unaufhörlichen Arbeit der Nachahmung und Distinktion steckt, hilft, den Wirtschaftsmotor am Laufen zu halten. Die soziale Dynamik der Konkurrenz und Imitation mag individuell unangenehm sein. Alles in allem aber ist sie kollektiv nützlich für die Wirtschaft – auch Mathilde hat ja einen Gegenstand gekauft und unablässi

The implication that epic narrative as such is not imitation seems at first sight to contradict what is said of it elsewhere in the Poetics, but the paradox is only superficial. The purest form of poetic imitation is in the dramatic mode; other modes are imitative, but not in the same degree.

Our power of imitation dwarfs that of any other animal. It allows us to build sophisticated culture and technology. At the same time, it has a dark side. Imitation leads people to pursue things that seem desirable at first but ultimately leave them unfulfilled.

Although I was consciously imitating, my identity came out unconsciously. I have come to believe that this expression is what makes me who I am. Imitation is an adventure of self discovery.