Michael Erin continues his career in economics as the vice president of development for the Economic Club of Las Vegas, a not-for-profit forum for political and economic debate. A theatre enthusiast, Michael Erin appreciates the thought of writers such as Rene Girard.
A distinguished French thinker, Rene Girard wrote numerous works, including A Theatre of Envy, and earned admittance to the respected Académie française. Of all his accomplishments, Rene Girard remains best known for his idea of mimetic desire.
In his theory of mimetic desire, Girard takes the idea of mimesis, or imitation, further than early philosophers such as Plato, who pointed out the ability of human beings to learn by imitation. In using the term mimetic desire, Girard reveals the essence of his thought: we not only imitate to learn information, but we also imitate others' desires. For example, if someone wants a hamburger, we may find that we suddenly want one too.
Girard distinguishes further between imitation as the positive reproduction of another's behavior versus mimesis, which he uses to describe the negative aspects that result in conflict or rivalry. The latter, he proposes, comes from the depths of our instinctual response to others.
A distinguished French thinker, Rene Girard wrote numerous works, including A Theatre of Envy, and earned admittance to the respected Académie française. Of all his accomplishments, Rene Girard remains best known for his idea of mimetic desire.
In his theory of mimetic desire, Girard takes the idea of mimesis, or imitation, further than early philosophers such as Plato, who pointed out the ability of human beings to learn by imitation. In using the term mimetic desire, Girard reveals the essence of his thought: we not only imitate to learn information, but we also imitate others' desires. For example, if someone wants a hamburger, we may find that we suddenly want one too.
Girard distinguishes further between imitation as the positive reproduction of another's behavior versus mimesis, which he uses to describe the negative aspects that result in conflict or rivalry. The latter, he proposes, comes from the depths of our instinctual response to others.
