Table of Contents
Explore René Girard's groundbreaking theory of mimetic rivalry, which exposes the fundamental flaws in human nature and reveals why competition leads to violence, pathology, and inevitable social dysfunction. This comprehensive analysis examines how our desire to imitate others creates psychological disorders, social oppression, and explains why all critical theories fail to solve humanity's core problems.
Key Takeaways
- Mimetic rivalry emerges when people are too similar - competition intensifies between equals, not opposites
- All psychological pathologies are inevitable - fetishization, alienation, bipolarity, and masochism stem from human nature itself
- Social progress creates new forms of oppression - liberation from traditional constraints leads to subtler but more pervasive control
- Critical theories fail because they misidentify root causes - changing systems doesn't eliminate pathologies rooted in human nature
- Girard's theodicy offers reconciliation through lowered expectations - accepting evil as inevitable brings tranquility and prevents paranoid scapegoating
Timeline Overview
00:00:00 Introduction - We build political structures for idealized rational actors, not the spirited, envious creatures we actually are
00:04:26 Internal and External Mediation - External mediation (celebrity influence) vs internal mediation (peer competition) depends on spatial, temporal, and social proximity
00:10:50 Mimetic Rivalry - When equals compete for the same objects, metaphysical desire inflames, creating resentment and the desire to harm rivals
00:33:33 Doubles - Competition forces opponents to adopt similar tactics, creating "warring twins" who are more alike than different
00:35:24 False Differences - Rivals focus on trivial differences to rationalize their resentment while repressing their fundamental similarity
00:37:58 American Psycho - The business card scene perfectly illustrates how indistinguishable competitors obsess over meaningless status markers
00:42:19 The Negative Phase of Mimesis - Moving away from despised groups is as socially determined as conforming to admired ones
00:46:33 Conforming to Contrarianism - The "romantic lie" that difference equals authenticity ignores how rejection is also mimetic behavior
00:53:31 The Psycho-Social Pathologies of Man - What we consider abnormalities are actually universal human conditions existing on a spectrum
00:55:51 Fetishization - Metaphysical desire makes us attribute magical properties to ordinary things based on who desires them
00:56:39 Alienation - The act of desiring projects our ideals onto external objects, robbing us of wholeness in the present moment
00:59:08 Bipolarity - We experience mania when close to desired objects and despair when distant, creating inevitable mood swings
01:01:01 Masochism - Only unattainable objects maintain their allure, creating an unconscious association between struggle and worth
01:04:27 Oppression - Removing explicit prohibitions often leads to more subtle mimetic coercion disguised as freedom
01:07:56 Inequity - As real differences shrink, people become more sensitive to remaining disparities, making subjective inequality worse
01:10:03 Hegel's Theodicy - Modern institutions are rational; problems come from insufficient adherence to existing structures
01:13:22 Rousseau's Theodicy - Evil stems from poor social organization; better institutions could create a perfect world
01:15:40 Girard's Theodicy - No social reorganization can eliminate pathologies; lowered expectations bring peace and prevent scapegoating
01:20:14 A Critique of Critique - Pointing out social pathologies loses force when those pathologies are shown to be necessary and inevitable
Internal and External Mediation
The foundation of mimetic theory distinguishes between two types of mediation based on distance. External mediation occurs when the model (like Michael Jordan) is distant enough that desire flows only one direction - we want his shoes but don't threaten his status. Internal mediation emerges when the model and subject are close enough to compete directly for the same objects, creating bidirectional rivalry.
This proximity operates on multiple levels: spatial/temporal distance (reduced by technology and travel) and social distance (reduced by ideals of equality). As these barriers erode, previously stable external mediations transform into volatile internal rivalries.
Mimetic Rivalry
When mediation becomes internal, it creates a uniquely destructive dynamic. Unlike external mediation's simple imitation, internal mediation involves reciprocal intensification - each rival strengthens the other's desire through competition. This creates three escalating problems:
- Reciprocal amplification - Like a contagious disease, desire mutates and intensifies as it passes between rivals
- Shame from losing - Defeat creates greater distance from the ideal of being, intensifying the desire to achieve it
- Resentment and malicious attribution - Rivals blame each other disproportionately and assume evil intent
The result is a fundamental shift from wanting objects for their utility to wanting them to deny rivals access - from physical to metaphysical desire.
Doubles
Perhaps the most disturbing insight of mimetic theory is how rivalry creates doubles or "warring twins." Competition forces opponents to adopt similar strategies, making them increasingly indistinguishable. Japan's Meiji Restoration exemplifies this: to resist Western domination, Japan had to become Western-like in its institutions, technology, and eventually its imperial ambitions.
This convergence is masked by false differences - tiny distinctions that rivals magnify to justify their hatred. Like the business cards in American Psycho or the "eggshell with Romalian type" versus "bone with Silian Rail," these differences are meaningless to outsiders but existentially important to the rivals themselves.
The Negative Phase of Mimesis
Girard reveals that even rejection is mimetic. We don't just imitate those we admire; we also define ourselves in opposition to those we despise. This negative mimesis operates through resentment rather than admiration but is equally socially determined.
The "romantic lie" suggests that moving away from groups represents authentic individuality. But Gerard shows that rebellion can be as conformist as conformity itself - we often "conform to contrarianism," rebelling not from genuine conviction but from mimetic resentment.
The Psycho-Social Pathologies of Man
Gerard's most radical claim is that psychological and social pathologies aren't aberrations but inevitable consequences of human nature. All humans experience:
- Fetishization: Attributing magical properties to objects based on who desires them
- Alienation: Externalizing our most precious qualities onto desired objects
- Bipolarity: Oscillating between mania (when close to desired objects) and despair (when distant)
- Masochism: Confusing difficulty with value, only desiring what's hard to obtain
Similarly, all societies experience:
- Oppression: Either explicit prohibition or subtle mimetic coercion disguised as freedom
- Inequity: Real differences or heightened sensitivity to remaining disparities (Tocqueville's principle)
Girard's Theodicy
Gerard's psychology culminates in a theodicy - a systematic explanation of evil's origins. Unlike other theodicies, Gerard locates evil not in flawed institutions (Hegel) or poor social organization (Rousseau) but in human nature itself.
This creates a unique form of reconciliation: if evil is inevitable, we can stop being surprised by it. This lowers expectations and prevents the paranoid search for scapegoats that characterizes optimistic theodicies when they encounter reality's resistance.
A Critique of Critique
Gerard's theodicy devastates modern critical theories by severing the link between describing pathologies and inspiring change. Critical theories typically follow a two-step process: identify social pathologies, then expect this identification to motivate reform.
Gerard accepts the first step but rejects the second. Yes, capitalism creates fetishization, alienation, and inequality - but so does every other system. The pathologies stem from human nature, not particular arrangements. Changing systems merely redirects these forces rather than eliminating them.
This doesn't preclude all reform but demands more modest expectations. We can discuss how to channel inevitable pathologies more constructively rather than believing we can eliminate them entirely.
Conclusion
Gerard's mimetic theory ultimately reveals that the very act of competing - whether for objects, status, or ideals - transforms us into what we compete against. In recognizing this trap, we might find the only path to genuine freedom: refusing to play the game entirely.
