What Is Mimetic Theory by Rene Girard - Shared Ignorance

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What is Mimetic Theory?
Mimetic Theory originated with Rene Girard, a French polymath whose seminal insights into the nature
of human desire bridges diverse fields such as anthropology, literary criticism, religious studies,
psychology, ethnology, sociology, philosophy, and others. One of the marks of genius is to notice
something vitally important and seemingly obvious but which never before had been recognized as
important. Rene Girard’s great discovery is a potential Rosetta Stone for the human sciences. The theory
is based on the observable tendency of human beings to subconsciously imitate others and the extension
of this mimesis to the realm of desire. The consequences are staggeringly profound. (My Plato
interpretation draws heavily on Girard’s insight into the mimetic origins of desire.) The following is my
attempt to summarize the basics of Mimetic Theory:
1. MIMETIC DESIRE
Human beings naturally imitate the desires of other human beings. (Have you noticed that? Obvious,
yes?) Human desire is, by and large, mediated desire. Girard calls this “mimetic desire” after the Greek
word “mimesis.” Someone signals a desire for a particular thing, and now you discover that you want
that thing. Most advertising works through this mechanism with demonstrated success. You and I are
mimetic creatures.
2. TRIANGULAR DESIRE
Desire as analyzed thus has three participants: a desirer, an object of desire and a model/mediator — *not*
just two, a desirer and object. So why does it usually seem as if desire is just between you and the object?
Because mimetic desire operates on a pre-rational level. Neurological studies have shown that this
reflexive imitation is present even in newborns. The phenomenon is “preconscious,” grasped only after a
later act of reflection if at all. We are otherwise blind to the influence of our models in supplying us with
desires and thus blind to the “second-hand” character of our desires. Girard calls this blindness to the
role of mediators in the origin of desire (i.e. the belief that “I” am the originator of “my” desire) the
“romantic” delusion. Mimetic desire seems obvious when self-consciously reflected upon, but such
reflection is not at all common and is certainly not automatic.
https://woodybelangia.com/what-is-mimetic-theory/ 1/10
6/14/22, 1:39 AM What is Mimetic Theory? | shared ignorance
3. ACQUISITIVE MIMESIS
Among the species of desire is acquisitive desire, which is similarly mimetic: an acquisitive gesture in one
person begets a corresponding acquisitive desire in an another for the same object. (Defensive gestures
similarly give rise to acquisitive desires in others, the well-known “forbidden fruit” phenomenon.)
Acquisitive desires, subject to mimetic mirroring, will inevitably attach themselves to a single object
within the same field of play and generate hostility and violence. In such cases, the model/mediator of
desire first appears to his/her imitator as an obstacle/rival. (If the mimetic model doesn’t occupy the
same “playing field” then there is no common object and thus no conflictual rivalry. Girard calls a model
“distant” enough to avoid rivalry an external mediator, as opposed to the potentially rivalrous internal
mediator.) The important thing to notice is that my mediator will first appear to the desirer as a rival, an
obstacle, an opponent. Again, the mimetic phenomenon is preconscious, whereas the rival as rival stands
all too noticeably in our way. Reaction against the rival’s potential (or actual) attempt to grab what I
want *always* precedes the reflection that could uncover the truth source of my desire: that I only want
it because she wants it. Put two kids together with a surplus of toys and their desire(s) will inevitably
latch onto the same toy, beginning a tug-of-war and mutual cries that “I wanted it (or had it) first!”
4. SCANDAL
Pursuit and defense of an acquisitive desire mimetically reinforces the desire of the rival/model/obstacle
and vice-versa, leading to an escalation of conflict unless something external to the conflict (like a taboo
or a legal authority) intercedes or unless one of the rivals submits or dies. Girard calls this mimetic
escalation scandal, after the Greek word skandalon, suggesting a “trap” or “snare.” A chief characteristic
of scandal is that attempts to escape a problem only makes the problem worse (analogous to pulling
against a snare). An example is the behavior of a nation-state perceived to be threatened by another
nation-state. (A familiar situation?) Its defensive preparations look to its rival like aggressive
provocations, which only increase the perceived threat. The rival then arms itself defensively, which is
interpreted as aggression by the other side, and so on and so on. Therefore, the actions that were
undertaken to secure each nation from threat have actually increased the threat and have fed a dynamic
that is dangerously self-reinforcing (e.g. Europe, circa 1914.) Here is a link
(https://woodybelangia.com/2014/01/13/scandal-and-story-telling/) to a story nicely illustrative of the
phenomenon of scandal.
5. METAPHYSICAL DESIRE
Since mutual interest in the object of desire is generated by human interaction, objects of rivalry can be
manufactured out of thin air by mimetic conflict. Examples might include prestige, fame or success. (T.S.
Eliot calls such things “shadow fruit”. They may also be called “vanities.”) I like to call these objects,
born of mimetic entanglement, “metaphysical objects,” objects whose objectivity is located solely in the
resistance provided by rivals. Metaphysical desire, Girard’s term, is the desire to possess the quality of
“being” attributed to the possessor of the object in dispute. We attribute to the glamorous, e.g. the
successful or famous, a quality of being that we lack, unaware that they also feel inadequately lacking in
comparison to their models and so on.
6. INHERENT SCARCITY
The scandal of metaphysical objects is that desire for such objects leads to an a priori frustration. In
eliminating my obstacle, I also eliminate the originator and sustainer of my desire and therefore the
substance of the object in question. This leads to the paradox of success aptly expressed in Groucho
Marx’s quip, “I wouldn’t belong to any club that would have me as a member.” Metaphysical objects are
essentially scarce and diminished when shared. Such scarcity extends even to material objects. Contrary
to the assumptions of classical economics, which posits that competitive struggles emerge from the
scarcity of goods, perhaps it is competitive struggle that creates the scarcity. And predictably when the
rival falls away, the cherished thing no longer has its luster. A lyric by Terry Talbot in a song called
“Stuff” is apt: “It’s treasure ‘till it’s mine then it ain’t worth a dime.”
7. THE SACRIFICIAL CRISIS

It is clear that mimetic rivalry is an incubator and accelerator of human violence. Mimetic forces left
unchecked by external societal checks would result in contagious spasms of violence. Remember that the
strong mimetic tendency in humanity is biological and preconscious rather than a product of human
deliberation. Therefore the origin of any general disorder caused by the propagation of mimetic rivalry
would be generally mysterious, while its effects are obvious and dangerous. The societal checks that we
take for granted (police forces, manners, etc.) have a history and every history must have a prehistory.
Given the tendency of mimetic rivalry to generate, sustain and even amplify violence, the question arises
as to how human culture during this prehistory was able to survive the Hobbesian “war of all against
all” that springs from natural mimetic escalation in the first place.
8. THE SCAPEGOAT
Just as the crisis begins with mimetic contagion, so too must it end mimetically. The new contagion is
catalyzed not by an acquisitive gesture, but by an accusatory one. Someone is blamed arbitrarily for the
violence — the scapegoat. Questions of who or why matter less than that the accusation is imitated. As an
accusation is transmitted by mimetic contagion across the social field, there is a natural tendency for it to
converge on a single victim. (This can be demonstrated in computer models with a collection of mimetic
agents biased to imitate the most duplicated meme.) The violence of “all against all” is replaced by the
more economical violence of “all against one” (or in Virgil’s formulation, unum pro multis, “one on behalf
of many”). The social vectors all become aligned, commonly focused on a single victim, who is
eliminated. Unanimous violence “cures” the crisis not because of the violence as such, but on account of
the unanimity born of accusatory violence.
9. POST HOC RATIONALIZATION
The peace that results from scapegoating violence will occur at blinding speed since, unlike the
antagonistic tugs on the mimetic object, the accusation encounters no resistance (other than the
increasingly outnumbered and feeble objections of the single victim). The social solidarity survives the
death of the victim, and the experience of mass antagonism giving way so suddenly to an apparent
peace has a powerful effect on everyone involved. The accusation has been pragmatically justified by its
predicted effect — the pollution having been purged, the society is now restored to health. Post hoc, ergo
propter hoc.
10. THE ARBITRARY VICTIM
The victim is chosen by arbitrary markers. The victim must have been peculiar in order to be singled out
and must lack defenders in order for the mob verdict to be unanimous. The scapegoat, being the first to
stand out from the crowd, is the first “individual” both psychologically and socially. The scapegoat is
also the only one in the culture who grasps the lie at the heart of the founding accusation — the only one
who knows the “truth” of the culture — making him/her doubly threatening. Andrew McKenna has
coined the term “the epistemological privilege of the victim” to name this phenomenon.
11. THE DIVINIZATION OF THE VICTIM
According to Girard, the seeds of primitive religion are here, in the seemingly miraculous effects that
attend the death of the victim of unanimous violence. Far from being the projected fantasies of savage
minds, the peace achieved is very real indeed, as was the danger of unchecked mass violence that
preceded it. Because the danger was so precarious and because the deliverance so sudden, the corpse left
behind becomes an object of intense fascination to those simultaneously threatened and saved by it.
(This accounts for the two conditions of the holy in Rudolph Otto’s famous formulation of sacred
ambivalence: mysterium tremendum et fascinans) Since the mimetic forces are invisible, diffuse and so far-
reaching in generating social madness, and since the sudden curative effect of the scapegoating murder
provides a post hoc justification (in the minds of the accusers) for the accusation, the murdered victim is
credited with occult powers. The post mortem divinization of the victim by the society is the natural
culmination of the story. .
12. THE SACRED ORDER
Girard theorizes that scapegoating effects are at the origin of all human cultural forms by marking the
emergence of the category of The Sacred. The unity that follows the collective murder obviously is of life
or death importance to the community founded by it. Maintenance of this unity and the prevention of
the mimetic forces that continually threaten to undermine it *is* culture, at least in its archaic form.
There are three signature components of sacred cultural order: ritual, prohibition and myth.
13. RITUAL
Since scapegoating murder cured the original disease, ritual repetition of this generative event will be
used either to reactively cure further outbreaks of mimetic violence or prophylactically prevent them.
This gives rise to sacrificial ritual. (Girard is the first to adequately explain the widespread existence of
sacrificial rites in human cultures.) Girard also believes that the institution of sacred kingship arises out
of the deferral of these rites: the king is a sacrificial victim with a suspended sentence — kept alive and
treated as divine as long as order prevails.
14. PROHIBITION
Since mimetic desire gives rise to violence, prohibitions, taboos and enforced distinctions arise (through a
kind of natural selection perhaps) that act as firewalls against the spread of mimetic rivalry. For instance,
the incest taboo prevents destructive rivalries over the closest available sexual partners from developing
within families. Girard points out that it is similarity, rather than difference, that encourages one human
to imitate another. (This accounts for the primitive fear of twins in many early cultures.) Sacred
distinctions such as caste systems help prevent mimetic amplification of the use of royal power for
instance. Loss or weakening of such taboos/distinctions (what Girard calls the crisis of distinctions) can
lead to new spasms of mimetic violence. One such distinction is king/subject. The singularity of the
victim and the singularity of the monarch may not be a coincidence — Girard theorizes that the origin of
the king is as “a victim with a suspended sentence.” The hypothesis is that the scapegoat is able, prior to
his murder, to leverage his sacred status before dying, to agree to use his “powers” for the community in
exchange for his life and confirmation of his sacred role.
15. MYTH
Myths are narratives that makes sense of the founding event and the subsequent rituals that recreate the
founding scene. Myths serve to overcome the arbitrary nature of the choice of victim, replacing it with a
veneer of necessity and justification. Girard believes that traces of the original violence can be discerned
at the heart of mythic narratives. Girard also believes that mythic stories, when viewed though the light
of mimetic theory, reveal, across cultures, the originary act of scapegoating violence. The success of the
sacrificial system rests on a general belief in the validity of the original accusation and justifying myth.
16. INTERDIVIDUALITY
Girard’s anthropology implies that human subjectivity is essentially de-centered. The Mimetic Theory
replaces the notion of the individual as the first principle of social analysis with the radical notion of
interdividuality, which transcends the self/society dichotomy. Desires have their locus between mimetic
partners; they are not placed precisely within one or the other.
17. OCCULT EFFECTS
Since desire is mutable and contagious rather than fixed or self-determined, there can appear within
human society agencies that transcend particular agents, often appearing as occult phenomena (e.g.
demonic possession, mesmerism) or psychological maladies (e.g. hysteria). (See Jean-Michel
Oughourlian’s work, The Puppet of Desire, for a good study of such phenomena.) The contagious germ
passed between mimetic subjects can also be called a “meme.”
18. PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS
Since institutions and social forms are largely the outgrowth of an order that has its foundation in
mimetic dynamics, they represent the objectification of the interdividual situation, expressions of
something like a mimetic field with gradations of attraction and repulsion. These “Powers” are not
directed or controlled by any particular human agent, but are themselves quasi-agencies. Humans act
out of their desires, but these desires are created, shaped and molded by the Powers that contain and
confront them. Recognized human authority such as a ruler results from the Power and not the Power
from the ruler.
19. THE SATAN
The central Power, that which founds the existing social arrangements, is that of accusation itself.
“Satan” means the accuser, the prosecutor. The foundation of order has throughout most of history been
through scapegoating violence and the mimetically attractive power of accusation. One could say of
accusation what Heraclitus said of war — that it is “the father and king of all, and has made some as
gods and others as men, and has made some slaves and others free.” Jesus calls Satan “the ruler of this
world” in John 12:31. Satan, although very much a reality, is not a person in the strict sense but what
Robert Hammerton-Kelly called the “Generative Mimetic Scapegoating Mechanism,” a feature of all
human societies.
20. UNMASKING THE POWERS
The success of the sacrificial system rests on a general belief in the validity of the original accusation and
justifying myth. Since the guilt of the original victim is a lie at heart, any narrative that unmasks the lie
will weaken/destroy the Power and unmake the culture founded on it. Again, Girard distinguishes
between (1) a narrative that masks and propagates the founding lie and (2) one that unmasks and
deconstructs it. The former he calls myth and the latter gospel. Whereas myths are written from the
perspective of the persecutors, gospel accounts privilege the innocent victim’s witness. A gospel gets its
light from the “epistemological privilege of the victim” described earlier.
21. STRUCTURAL INNOCENCE
One of the species of innocence is structural innocence — the idea that even a forensically guilty person
can be an “innocent” victim of scapegoating violence — especially if the purpose of the violence has
more to do with maintaining social distinctions than with punishing crime. In this sense, a black man
lynched in the Old South for horse thievery should be viewed in the light of “structural innocence,”
independent of whether he stole the horse. Likewise, the victim of judgment is structurally innocent if
the point of the accusation is to preserve an appearance of relative righteousness in the accuser at the
expense of the accused. (Camus: “To justify himself, each relies on the other’s crimes.”)
22. WEAKENING OF THE SACRIFICIAL MECHANISMS
The concern for the victim qua victim that has arisen in human culture makes sacrificial solutions to
social disorder less and less efficacious, since vindication of the victim destroys the myth that justifies
the violence. Each discovery that unveils a victimage mechanism utterly destroys/transforms the society
founded on it — modernity exposes the victimization implicit in the hegemony of ecclesial power;
postmodernity discloses the sacrificial nature of modernity’s foundational meta-narratives, etc.
23. THE APOCALYPTIC SITUATION
The concern for victims of scapegoating violence has the perverse effect of increasing the threat and
magnitude of further outbreaks of violence, since the sacrificial mechanisms that would otherwise keep
them contained can’t survive being made transparent. The Greek word apocalypse (etymologically:
“unveiling”) gestures both to this revealing and to the terminal violence that is produced by such
revelation. Given our legitimate moral qualms over scapegoating mechanisms, and given the specter of
apocalyptic violence made possible by the weakening or loss of those mechanisms, it seems more
necessary than ever for our survival as a species to discover and model non-rivalrous, non-sacrificial
ways of living. Auden: “We must love one another or die.”
24. THE SOLUTION FOR MIMESIS WILL BE MIMESIS
Girard holds that human beings cannot escape their mimetic nature and that (romantic) attempts to
outflank mimetic influences (e.g. Rousseau, Heidegger) are ultimately scandalous — we just end up
playing the same mimetic games at a higher level. The cure for mimetically produced violence will be a
mimetically transmitted desire for peace. The model/cure will have to be someone who has transcended
the lure of scapegoating violence, but who?
Books to read to explore further the subject of mimetic desire:
Deceit, Desire and the Novel (http://www.amazon.com/Deceit-Desire-Novel-Literary-

Structure/dp/0801818303/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1K26R16Q66MBSW6STTCW)by Rene
Girard — the first book to lay bare the phenomenon using examples from great European literature.
A Theater of Envy (http://www.amazon.com/Theater-Of-Envy-Shakespeare-

Carthage/dp/1587318601/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1N1NQZFXYK0BVFPPJMNR) by Rene
Girard — a collection of essays on Shakespeare, whom Girard credits as the first author to really
understand the dynamics of mimetic desire.
The Scapegoat (http://www.amazon.com/The-Scapegoat-Ren%C3%A9-

Girard/dp/0801839173/ref=pd_sim_b_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=05TAHQ0C0PHW61NC93NR) by Rene Girard
— explores the mimetic origins of scapegoating on its importance for the foundation of culture.
The Girard Reader (http://www.amazon.com/Girard-Reader-Crossroad-Herder-

Book/dp/0824516346/ref=pd_sim_b_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MG0FE12R75M2VV4Y2A4) by Rene Girard,
edited by James Willimas — gathers together a variety of articles, interviews and excepts by and with
Girard.
Beneath the Veil of the Strange Verses: Reading Scandalous Texts (http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Veil-
Strange-Verses-Scandalous/dp/1611860768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406574775&sr=1-
1&keywords=alberg+beneath)by Jeremiah Alberg — explores the implications of the phenomenon of
scandal through the lens of seminal Western thinkers and texts. Scandal is an under-appreciated topic,
too important not to understand in all its guises. Alberg’s book helps to grasp both this importance and
these guises. Link here (http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Veil-Strange-Verses-Scandalous-
ebook/dp/B00AYBESYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389225835&sr=8-
1&keywords=jeremiah+alberg+beneath).
Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads (http://www.amazon.com/Violence-Unveiled-Humanity-at-

Crossroads/dp/0824516451/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406574818&sr=1-
1&keywords=violence+unveiled) by Gil Bailie — a readable application of Girard’s thought to human
culture and psychology — pregnant with useful illustrations and examples.
33 thoughts on “What is Mimetic Theory?”
1. Pingback: The Mimetic Theory of Rene Girard, Part II/III | shared ignorance
(https://woodybelangia.com/2014/01/11/the-mimetic-theory-of-rene-girard-part-ii/)
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11. hugo
 October 19, 2016
Awsome!
Reply (https://woodybelangia.com/what-is-mimetic-theory/?replytocom=2890#respond)
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14. Neil
 February 24, 2017
There should be more attention paid to Girard in Economics and Political Science. There is a lot of
resonance with Lao Dze: “The sage rules by emptying hearts (desires/ambitions) and filling bellies.”
“Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations. Ever desireless, one sees the Mystery.”
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19. JHoney Goddess
 April 27, 2017
Thank you.
Blessings In Love,
JHoney Goddess
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21. stoppingfamilyscapegoating
 November 9, 2017
Perhaps more attention to René Gerard could be taken by government, mental health, population
studies and anti terrorism and espionage employees, humans are hard wired for connection to other
humans, mimicking, Scapegoating, fighting for or against, perhaps through rivalry or family. It
seems the apocalypse might be a veil of peace, healing and technological advancement… if The cure
for mimetically produced violence will be a mimetically transmitted desire for peace. The model/cure
will have to be someone who has transcended the lure of scapegoating violence, but who? The
Humans created by 200 plus more years of living online.
Doug Longstaffe
 January 4, 2019
Linking the Terror Management theory spawned from the writings of Earnest Becker (The Denial
of Death) would make a lot of sense. Not sure if this has been done.
22. Vasudeva Ramaswamy
Hi Woody, thank you for this wonderful summary of Girard’s work! It made for very interesting
reading. One question, though: in section 8 above, you say that the tendency for the accusation to
converge on a single victim can be demonstrated in computer models. Have any such studies/models
been published? If so, could you please point me to a couple of them? I looked to see if I could find
any online, but have been drawing a blank. Do let me know. Thanks again!
woodybelangia
Thank you, Vasudeva for your kind words! I’m not well-versed on the scholarship in this field
besides knowing that it exists. Here is a link to one study: Link
(https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hans_Weigand/publication/236747583_Complex_Mimetic_
Systems/links/0deec5382f1f7ee33c000000/Complex-Mimetic-Systems.pdf)
23. Jacko
 January 1, 2018
How does this relate to the work of B.F. Skinner
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29. ANDREW MCKENNA
 August 27, 2021
Thank you, Woody, for a superb condensation of Girard’s ideas. It’s all there and your clarifications
are exquisite. A friend of mine with whom I teach literature (and Girard) in prison sent me this link.
BTW, I also found your presentation at the Purdue COV&R conference on AI to be, for clarity and
coherence, among the best contributions. We are now informed that on line access to them is
available. I think yours should be included in your website.
woodybelangia
 August 28, 2021
That means a lot to me, Andrew. I’m glad this summary can people get the gist of Girard’s theory.
Thank you also for you kind words regarding my Peirce-Girard presentation. I will look up the
video and take your advice.
30. leondotcat
 October 9, 2021
I like this neat summary of Girard’s theory. The ending with the question was beautiful too. I’m
trying to sum up Girard’s thought in 150 words. I want to make a 60-second animation with the text,
as a means to deepen my understanding. Would you be interested in collaborating..?
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6/14/22, 1:39 AM What is Mimetic Theory?

Towards a Defective Reading of Plato

7. THE SACRIFICIAL CRISIS

9. POST HOC RATIONALIZATION

10. THE ARBITRARY VICTIM

11. THE DIVINIZATION OF THE VICTIM

12. THE SACRED ORDER

17. OCCULT EFFECTS

18. PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS

19. THE SATAN

20. UNMASKING THE POWERS

21. STRUCTURAL INNOCENCE

22. WEAKENING OF THE SACRIFICIAL MECHANISMS

23. THE APOCALYPTIC SITUATION

24. THE SOLUTION FOR MIMESIS WILL BE MIMESIS

Books to read to explore further the subject of mimetic desire:

Deceit, Desire and the Novel (http://www.amazon.com/Deceit-Desire-Novel-Literary-

A Theater of Envy (http://www.amazon.com/Theater-Of-Envy-Shakespeare-

The Scapegoat (http://www.amazon.com/The-Scapegoat-Ren%C3%A9-

The Girard Reader (http://www.amazon.com/Girard-Reader-Crossroad-Herder-

Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads (http://www.amazon.com/Violence-Unveiled-Humanity-at-

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