René Girard
René Noël Théophile Girard was a French academic best known for developing mimetic theory, which posits that human desire is fundamentally imitative, leading to rivalry, violence and the scapegoat mechanism as foundations of religion and culture. Holding academic appointments primarily in literature departments in the United States, his interdisciplinary work influenced fields ranging from theology to economics to psychology and cultural studies.
Career Journey
Background
- Born in
- Avignon
- Educated at
- École des chartesIndiana University Bloomington
- Awards
- 🏆 Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize🏆 Guggenheim Fellowship🏆 Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
Trending & Selected Quotes
Trending topics shown first"It was Plato who determined once and for all the cultural meaning of imitation, but this meaning is truncated, torn from the essential dimension of acquisitive behavior, which is also the dimension of…"
"There is always an attempt to move away from the Cross, that is, to perpetuate man’s misrecognition of his violence and protect his pride from the revelation. Without the Cross, there is no revelation…"
Works & Publications
No works or publications documented yet.
Timeline
1923
Born
Birth2015
Died
Death
Influenced
Thinkers whose work was shaped by René's ideas
No influenced thinkers documented yet.
Source Attribution
Information about René Girard is sourced from curated knowledge bases and cross-referenced for accuracy. Influence relationships are scored by thematic overlap and historical plausibility.
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