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The Scapegoat
Widely regarded as one of the most profound critics of our time, René Girard has pursued a powerful line of inquiry across the fields of the humanities and the social sciences. His theories, which the French press has termed "l'hypothèse girardienne," have sparked interdisciplinary, even international, controversy. In The Scapegoat, Girard applies his approach to "texts of persecution," documents that recount phenomena of collective violence from the standpoint of the persecutor--documents such as the medieval poet Guillaume de Machaut's Judgement of the King of Navarre, which blames the Jews for the Black Death and describes their mass murder.
Girard compares persecution texts with myths, most notably with the myth of Oedipus, and finds strikingly similar themes and structures. Could myths regularly conceal texts of persecution? Girard's answers lies in a study of the Christian Passion, which represents the same central event, the same collective violence, found in all mythology, but which is read from the point of view of the innocent victim. The Passion text provides the model interpretation that has enabled Western culture to demystify its own violence--a demystification Girard now extends to mythology.
Underlying Girard's daring textual hypothesis is a powerful theory of history and culture. Christ's rejection of all guilt breaks the mythic cycle of violence and the sacred. The scapegoat becomes the Lamb of God; "the foolish genesis of blood-stained idols and the false gods of superstition, politics, and ideologies" are revealed.
Girard compares persecution texts with myths, most notably with the myth of Oedipus, and finds strikingly similar themes and structures. Could myths regularly conceal texts of persecution? Girard's answers lies in a study of the Christian Passion, which represents the same central event, the same collective violence, found in all mythology, but which is read from the point of view of the innocent victim. The Passion text provides the model interpretation that has enabled Western culture to demystify its own violence--a demystification Girard now extends to mythology.
Underlying Girard's daring textual hypothesis is a powerful theory of history and culture. Christ's rejection of all guilt breaks the mythic cycle of violence and the sacred. The scapegoat becomes the Lamb of God; "the foolish genesis of blood-stained idols and the false gods of superstition, politics, and ideologies" are revealed.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
René Girard
126 books657 followersRené Girard was a French-born American historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science whose work belongs to the tradition of anthropological philosophy.
He was born in the southern French city of Avignon on Christmas day in 1923. Between 1943 and 1947, he studied in Paris at the École des Chartres, an institution for the training of archivists and historians, where he specialized in medieval history. In 1947 he went to Indiana University on a year’s fellowship and eventually made almost his entire career in the United States. He completed a PhD in history at Indiana University in 1950 but also began to teach literature, the field in which he would first make his reputation. He taught at Duke University and at Bryn Mawr before becoming a professor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. In 1971 he went to the State University of New York at Buffalo for five years, returned to Johns Hopkins, and then finished his academic career at Stanford University where he taught between 1981 and his retirement in 1995.
Girard is the author of nearly thirty books, with his writings spanning many academic domains. Although the reception of his work is different in each of these areas, there is a growing body of secondary literature on his work and his influence on disciplines such as literary criticism, critical theory, anthropology, theology, psychology, mythology, sociology, economics, cultural studies, and philosophy.Girard’s fundamental ideas, which he has developed throughout his career and provide the foundation for his thinking, are that desire is mimetic (all of our desires are borrowed from other people), that all conflict originates in mimetic desire (mimetic rivalry), that the scapegoat mechanism is the origin of sacrifice and the foundation of human culture, and religion was necessary in human evolution to control the violence that can come from mimetic rivalry, and that the Bible reveals these ideas and denounces the scapegoat mechanism.
In 1990, friends and colleagues of Girard’s established the Colloquium on Violence and Religion to further research and discussion about the themes of Girard’s work. The Colloquium meets annually either in Europe or the United States.
René Girard died on November 4, 2015, at the age of 91 in Stanford.
He was born in the southern French city of Avignon on Christmas day in 1923. Between 1943 and 1947, he studied in Paris at the École des Chartres, an institution for the training of archivists and historians, where he specialized in medieval history. In 1947 he went to Indiana University on a year’s fellowship and eventually made almost his entire career in the United States. He completed a PhD in history at Indiana University in 1950 but also began to teach literature, the field in which he would first make his reputation. He taught at Duke University and at Bryn Mawr before becoming a professor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. In 1971 he went to the State University of New York at Buffalo for five years, returned to Johns Hopkins, and then finished his academic career at Stanford University where he taught between 1981 and his retirement in 1995.
Girard is the author of nearly thirty books, with his writings spanning many academic domains. Although the reception of his work is different in each of these areas, there is a growing body of secondary literature on his work and his influence on disciplines such as literary criticism, critical theory, anthropology, theology, psychology, mythology, sociology, economics, cultural studies, and philosophy.Girard’s fundamental ideas, which he has developed throughout his career and provide the foundation for his thinking, are that desire is mimetic (all of our desires are borrowed from other people), that all conflict originates in mimetic desire (mimetic rivalry), that the scapegoat mechanism is the origin of sacrifice and the foundation of human culture, and religion was necessary in human evolution to control the violence that can come from mimetic rivalry, and that the Bible reveals these ideas and denounces the scapegoat mechanism.
In 1990, friends and colleagues of Girard’s established the Colloquium on Violence and Religion to further research and discussion about the themes of Girard’s work. The Colloquium meets annually either in Europe or the United States.
René Girard died on November 4, 2015, at the age of 91 in Stanford.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 5, 2012
Only two stars for style and the first half of the book, *but* 4-5 for Girard's interpretation of the gospels and his conclusion. He is really on to something; his (or rather, the New Testament's) scapegoat theory is a sophisticated analysis of individual-versus-group relations, religion, and sacralised violence. This might be the first book that convinces me that there might be something unique about the Bible as a religious work, as compared to other mythologies.
Though perhaps he does so in a later book (I haven't checked), I wish Girard would just have dropped the polemics and frustrations about historic practice and just presented his case pure and simple, and with more space for explanation and contemplation of contemporary affairs.
Though perhaps he does so in a later book (I haven't checked), I wish Girard would just have dropped the polemics and frustrations about historic practice and just presented his case pure and simple, and with more space for explanation and contemplation of contemporary affairs.
October 10, 2018
بعض الكتب أعرف أنها مهمة وأن مؤلفها له آراء جديرة بالمعرفة، ولكن عند قراءتها لا أتمكن من استيعابها جيدا. رشح لي صديق عزيز إسم هذا المفكر الفرنسي الذي يُدرّس في بعض جامعات الولايات المتحدة لأقرأ له أي شيء، وأعطاني فكرة مبسطة عن بعض أفكاره، وبالصدفة وجدت هذا الكتاب فاستعرته. قرأت نصفه الأول بالكامل، ثم مقتطفات من نصفه الثاني. والحقيقة أن الفكرة المبسطة التي أعطاها لي صديقي كانت أفضل كثيرا من قراءة الكتاب. ربما يجب ان نقرأ للمؤلف كتاباته الأخرى أولا حتى نتمكن من استيعاب ما يقوله هنا. إنطباعي أنه لا يشرح أفكاره بطريقة منهجية واضحة، وإنما كأنه يناقش أفكارا قدمها من قبل وكأن القاريء يعرفها بالفعل
الفكرتين الأساسيتين في الكتاب:
-أن كل المجتمعات لكي تحافظ على تماسكها ولكي تقضي على التناقضات الموجودة بداخلها تختار ضحية لها مواصفات معينة لكي تكون كبش فداء ويتم إلصاق كل الموبقات بها [ فساد وانحلال وإنحدار أخلاقي، إنحرافات جنسية، أو حتى شوي والتهام الأطفال]، وتصبح هي "المسئولة" عن كل الكوارث والأوبئة والمشاكل الإجتماعية. ويمكن أن تكون الضحية أقلية إثنية أو دينية، أو وافد جديد أو وافدين جدد على المجتمع [مهاجرين مثلا]، أو حتى شخص أو مجموعة أشخاص مصابين بعاهة جسمية. ويرى رينيه جيرار أن هذه الظاهرة يمكن ملاحظتها في "كل" الأساطير القديمة والحديثة إلى جانب وجودها في كل المجتمعات التاريخية. و بالرغم من قلة عدد هذه الأقلية الغريبة بالنسبة للعدد الضخم من أفراد المجتمع فإن المجتمع ينسب إليهم نوع من القدرات الخارقة في إحداث الأذى. وطالما أن هذه الضحية قادرة هكذا على إحداث كوارث مأساوية [أو حتى كونية كما في الأساطير] فإنها تصبح تلقائيا قادرة وحدها على رفع هذا الأذى أو شفاء الوباء الذي تسببت فيه، وبالتالي فهي تصبح ذات وجهين: فهي من ناحية مهلكة ومؤذية وقاتلة ومجرمة، وهي في نفس الوقت شافية ومبارِكة وقادرة على إحداث معجزات الشفاء؛ أي باختصار: دنسة ومقدسة في ذات الوقت. ويمكن هنا أن نتذكر دور ساحر القبيلة في المجتمعات البدائية أو الطبيب اليهودي في أوربا العصور الوسطى أو أي شخص يشتغل بالسحر والشعوذة في مجتمعاتنا الحالية، فكلهم حولهم هالة عجيبة ومتناقضة من الإعجاب والانبهار والاشمئزاز والحب والكره والخوف.
هل يمكن أن يكون ذلك هو الأصل القديم للصفات المنسوبة للإله العظيم الجبار القادر على كل شيء، بما في ذلك الخيرات العظيمة والكوارث العظيمة ؟
- الفكرة الثانية المهمة عند رينيه جيرار هي فكرة "المحاكاة"، وهو يقصد بها أن الإنسان في الأصل ليس لديه رغبات معينة، وأن المحيطين به - الأسرة والمعارف والمجتمع وما إلى ذلك - هم الذين يعلموه كيف يرغب في أشياء معينة، وطالما أن الجميع في مجتمع معين يرغبون في نفس الشيء فسوف يحدث تنافس وصراع إلى حد القتال؛ وكل ذلك باالرغم من أن هذه الرغبات التي نتزاحم ونتقاتل عليها لم تكن رغباتنا في الأصل !
وكمثال على ذلك يحلل رينيه جيرار قصة من الأناجيل: الملك هيرودس الذي كان معاصرا ليوحنا المعمدان (أو النبي يحيى)، وكان يوحنا يُشَهِّر بالملك لأنه قام بالزواج من طليقة أخيه [وكان ذلك شيئا ضد الشريعة اليهودية]، فلما قبض على يوحنا وسجنه كانت زوجته هيرودياس تتمنى أن يتخلص منه تماما لأنه أساء إلى سمعتها، ولما رقصت ابنتها سالومي في حفل [ وكانت طفلة صغيرة حسب المراجع التي رجع إليها رينيه جيرار وليست فتاة ناضجة لعوب كما تظهر في الأفلام التي تحكي تلك القصة] ووعدها هيرودس بأن يعطيها أي شيء تطلبه "حتى لو طلبت نصف مملكته"، لم تكن هي ترغب في أي شيء معين فلجأت إلى والدتها تسألها ما الذي يجب أن تطلبه، فأوعزت إليها الأم أن تسأل الملك أن يأتيها برأس يوحنا المعمدان على طبق، وبصورة تلقائية أصبحت هذه الرغبة الموعز بها هي رغبتها الشخصية وأصرت علي تنفيذها رغم أن الملك وجد أنه تورط في جريمة قتل رجل كان يعتبر من الأولياء، وهو ما حدث فعلا حسب القصة الإنجيلية
الترجمة: أعتقد أنها ليست جيدة تماما
ملحوظة هامشية: يبدو أن فعل الكتابة في حد ذاته يدفع الإنسان إلى التركيز وبلورة الأفكار وإلى المزيد من الفهم، لذلك أجد الآن أني ربما أكون قد استوعبت إلى حد معقول بعض ما جاء في الكتاب، رغم شعوري بعكس ذلك أثناء قراءته !!0
الفكرتين الأساسيتين في الكتاب:
-أن كل المجتمعات لكي تحافظ على تماسكها ولكي تقضي على التناقضات الموجودة بداخلها تختار ضحية لها مواصفات معينة لكي تكون كبش فداء ويتم إلصاق كل الموبقات بها [ فساد وانحلال وإنحدار أخلاقي، إنحرافات جنسية، أو حتى شوي والتهام الأطفال]، وتصبح هي "المسئولة" عن كل الكوارث والأوبئة والمشاكل الإجتماعية. ويمكن أن تكون الضحية أقلية إثنية أو دينية، أو وافد جديد أو وافدين جدد على المجتمع [مهاجرين مثلا]، أو حتى شخص أو مجموعة أشخاص مصابين بعاهة جسمية. ويرى رينيه جيرار أن هذه الظاهرة يمكن ملاحظتها في "كل" الأساطير القديمة والحديثة إلى جانب وجودها في كل المجتمعات التاريخية. و بالرغم من قلة عدد هذه الأقلية الغريبة بالنسبة للعدد الضخم من أفراد المجتمع فإن المجتمع ينسب إليهم نوع من القدرات الخارقة في إحداث الأذى. وطالما أن هذه الضحية قادرة هكذا على إحداث كوارث مأساوية [أو حتى كونية كما في الأساطير] فإنها تصبح تلقائيا قادرة وحدها على رفع هذا الأذى أو شفاء الوباء الذي تسببت فيه، وبالتالي فهي تصبح ذات وجهين: فهي من ناحية مهلكة ومؤذية وقاتلة ومجرمة، وهي في نفس الوقت شافية ومبارِكة وقادرة على إحداث معجزات الشفاء؛ أي باختصار: دنسة ومقدسة في ذات الوقت. ويمكن هنا أن نتذكر دور ساحر القبيلة في المجتمعات البدائية أو الطبيب اليهودي في أوربا العصور الوسطى أو أي شخص يشتغل بالسحر والشعوذة في مجتمعاتنا الحالية، فكلهم حولهم هالة عجيبة ومتناقضة من الإعجاب والانبهار والاشمئزاز والحب والكره والخوف.
هل يمكن أن يكون ذلك هو الأصل القديم للصفات المنسوبة للإله العظيم الجبار القادر على كل شيء، بما في ذلك الخيرات العظيمة والكوارث العظيمة ؟
- الفكرة الثانية المهمة عند رينيه جيرار هي فكرة "المحاكاة"، وهو يقصد بها أن الإنسان في الأصل ليس لديه رغبات معينة، وأن المحيطين به - الأسرة والمعارف والمجتمع وما إلى ذلك - هم الذين يعلموه كيف يرغب في أشياء معينة، وطالما أن الجميع في مجتمع معين يرغبون في نفس الشيء فسوف يحدث تنافس وصراع إلى حد القتال؛ وكل ذلك باالرغم من أن هذه الرغبات التي نتزاحم ونتقاتل عليها لم تكن رغباتنا في الأصل !
وكمثال على ذلك يحلل رينيه جيرار قصة من الأناجيل: الملك هيرودس الذي كان معاصرا ليوحنا المعمدان (أو النبي يحيى)، وكان يوحنا يُشَهِّر بالملك لأنه قام بالزواج من طليقة أخيه [وكان ذلك شيئا ضد الشريعة اليهودية]، فلما قبض على يوحنا وسجنه كانت زوجته هيرودياس تتمنى أن يتخلص منه تماما لأنه أساء إلى سمعتها، ولما رقصت ابنتها سالومي في حفل [ وكانت طفلة صغيرة حسب المراجع التي رجع إليها رينيه جيرار وليست فتاة ناضجة لعوب كما تظهر في الأفلام التي تحكي تلك القصة] ووعدها هيرودس بأن يعطيها أي شيء تطلبه "حتى لو طلبت نصف مملكته"، لم تكن هي ترغب في أي شيء معين فلجأت إلى والدتها تسألها ما الذي يجب أن تطلبه، فأوعزت إليها الأم أن تسأل الملك أن يأتيها برأس يوحنا المعمدان على طبق، وبصورة تلقائية أصبحت هذه الرغبة الموعز بها هي رغبتها الشخصية وأصرت علي تنفيذها رغم أن الملك وجد أنه تورط في جريمة قتل رجل كان يعتبر من الأولياء، وهو ما حدث فعلا حسب القصة الإنجيلية
الترجمة: أعتقد أنها ليست جيدة تماما
ملحوظة هامشية: يبدو أن فعل الكتابة في حد ذاته يدفع الإنسان إلى التركيز وبلورة الأفكار وإلى المزيد من الفهم، لذلك أجد الآن أني ربما أكون قد استوعبت إلى حد معقول بعض ما جاء في الكتاب، رغم شعوري بعكس ذلك أثناء قراءته !!0
March 19, 2008
A simply marvelous book; groundbreaking thinking about the gospels.
In the beginning it was difficult to see where Girard was going. He liked to make claims and leave them unsupported, etc. But once he started into the Gospels and the Passion, everything made much more sense. The second half of the book was much more understandable and cohesive.
Girard's writing style is also pretty accessible--easier to read than other philosophers.
In the beginning it was difficult to see where Girard was going. He liked to make claims and leave them unsupported, etc. But once he started into the Gospels and the Passion, everything made much more sense. The second half of the book was much more understandable and cohesive.
Girard's writing style is also pretty accessible--easier to read than other philosophers.
August 27, 2010
Book that has most changed my worldview in the past year.
January 29, 2021
If I could have sex with this book I would.
March 22, 2022
Büyük bir toplumsal kriz deneyimi sırasında gerçek nedenlerle pek ilgilenilmez. Kriz, öncelikle toplumsalın krizi olduğundan, toplumsal ve ahlaki nedenlerle açıklanma yönünde güçlü bir eğilime maruz kalır. Nihayetinde, dağılıp parçalanan şey insan ilişkileridir. Fakat insan kendini suçlamak yerine toplumu ya da toplum içerisinde zararlı gördükleri, damglanmaya müsait durumda olanları kınamaya ve olup biten için sorumlu tutulmaya başlar. Kıyım, basmakalıp biçimde böyle gelişir.
Yığın, kıyıma yönelir. Kendisinde kargaşa yaratan her neyse onun nedenleri ile ilgilenmez. Yığın eylem arar. Bu eylem, erişilebilir ve şiddet açlığını yatıştırabilir olmalıdır. Kıyıma yönelen güruh, topluluğu yozlaştıran, çürüten, lekeleyen, saf olmayan, durumu kargaşaya sürükleyen hainlerden kurtulmayı, onlardan temizlemeyi hayal eder.
Yığının yığın olma hali, onu bir araya getiren, kıyım için seferber eden karanlık çağrıyla aynı şeydir.
Yığın, kıyıma yönelir. Kendisinde kargaşa yaratan her neyse onun nedenleri ile ilgilenmez. Yığın eylem arar. Bu eylem, erişilebilir ve şiddet açlığını yatıştırabilir olmalıdır. Kıyıma yönelen güruh, topluluğu yozlaştıran, çürüten, lekeleyen, saf olmayan, durumu kargaşaya sürükleyen hainlerden kurtulmayı, onlardan temizlemeyi hayal eder.
Yığının yığın olma hali, onu bir araya getiren, kıyım için seferber eden karanlık çağrıyla aynı şeydir.
September 17, 2012
I did most of my phd work on Kenneth Burke. When someone recommended I read Girard, I soon realized that he was a disciple of Burke, and perhaps especially of Burke's key dictum about humanity, summed in his famous (well, at least among Burke fans) poem, namely that
Here are the steps
In the Iron Law of History
That welds Order and Sacrifice:
Order leads to Guilt
(for who can keep commandments!)
Guilt needs Redemption
(for who would not be cleansed!)
Redemption needs Redeemer
(which is to say, a Victim!).
Order
Through Guilt
To Victimage
(hence: Cult of the Kill). . . .
Kenneth Burke, Rhetoric of Religion, pp. 4-5
Girard explores the sacrifice/redemption/victimage aspects of Burke's thought. But whereas Burke was a lapsed Marxist, Girard apparently is primarily a Christian (which doesn't rule out Marxist!) scholar. It is dense reading for starting out a new job, but I think I'm up to it. We'll see.
Okay. So it was one tough slug. Got through it. Understand his ideas about scapegoating. I'm glad I read it. I'm not sure what is next. Maybe some secondary literature? We'll see.
Here are the steps
In the Iron Law of History
That welds Order and Sacrifice:
Order leads to Guilt
(for who can keep commandments!)
Guilt needs Redemption
(for who would not be cleansed!)
Redemption needs Redeemer
(which is to say, a Victim!).
Order
Through Guilt
To Victimage
(hence: Cult of the Kill). . . .
Kenneth Burke, Rhetoric of Religion, pp. 4-5
Girard explores the sacrifice/redemption/victimage aspects of Burke's thought. But whereas Burke was a lapsed Marxist, Girard apparently is primarily a Christian (which doesn't rule out Marxist!) scholar. It is dense reading for starting out a new job, but I think I'm up to it. We'll see.
Okay. So it was one tough slug. Got through it. Understand his ideas about scapegoating. I'm glad I read it. I'm not sure what is next. Maybe some secondary literature? We'll see.
July 6, 2020
This was my first exploration of Girard’s approach to culture, mimetic desire, scapegoating, and how all of these are connected to the biblical narrative, in particular, to Christ and his Passion. This is not an easy book to read—not necessarily because of the writing (though it is unnecessarily obtuse at times) but because Girard challenges fundamental assumptions, leading me to rethink and reevaluate what I have long thought. I appreciate and admire writers and thinkers who do just that, so I will go on to read more of his work.
March 2, 2008
Girard has changed my thinking forever.
July 28, 2017
Scritto in una particolare epoca storica, durante l'ennesima acutizzazione della Guerra Fredda, probabilmente forzando metodi interpretativi costruiti da Girard stesso (metodi che comunque sono affascinanti quanto spiazzanti, e forse rivelatori), con tocchi di autodifesa che non possono non far sorridere per la quasi-paranoia, "Il capro espiatorio" può risultare quanto meno scientificamente dubbio e forzatamente paraculo (per usare un termine tecnico), ma importa veramente di fronte alla profondità umana di ciò che ci sta dicendo?
July 24, 2021
I dag blir man provocerad om någon påstår att man har en idé som kan förklara allt, och ännu mer provocerad om det verkar som att denne lyckas. Girard gör det.
Jag är omtumlad, lite skrämd, men också mycket hoppfull. En läsning av evangelierna utifrån Girard blir mycket mycket verklig, nära.
Detta är bland det bästa och viktigaste jag läst - boken är inte supersvår, men det tar ändå tid för ideerna att lägga sig, och jag kommer nog behöva besöka fler av hans texter.
Jag är omtumlad, lite skrämd, men också mycket hoppfull. En läsning av evangelierna utifrån Girard blir mycket mycket verklig, nära.
Detta är bland det bästa och viktigaste jag läst - boken är inte supersvår, men det tar ändå tid för ideerna att lägga sig, och jag kommer nog behöva besöka fler av hans texter.
August 26, 2021
En utmerket bok om kristendommens sannhet og måten hele religioner, samfunn og politiske mobber mobiliseres i kraft av å kanalisere vold. Begrepet om syndebukken og mimesis er utrolig hjelpsomt for å forstå måten dagens samfunn bærer på et seriøst handicap. Dette følger av den positivistiske og "kritiske" tenkemåten som skjermer oss for evangelienes sannhet, hvilket er en sannhet i form av at det i evangeliene er åpenbart hvordan menneskenes behov for voldsutøvelse går ut over syndebukker og utløses mot uskyldige grunnet det ustyrlige behovet for imitasjon.
Utover bokens innhold er Syndebukken også en utmerket kritikk av dagens overrasjonaliserte vitenskapelighet, som Girard er i stand til å vise er dogmatisk og lite produktiv i møte med sosial mytologisering.
"Det var ikke fordi menneskene fant opp vitenskapen at de sluttet med heksejakten, det var fordi de sluttet med heksejakt at de fant opp vitenskapen. Den vitenskapelige ånden er, akkurat som forretningsånden i økonomien, et biprodukt av den evangeliske tekstens dypvirkning. Det moderne Vesten har glemt åpenbaringen og er bare opptatt av biproduktene. Vestens mennesker har omdannet de til våpen, til instrumenter for maktutøvelse, men nå har prosessen snudd seg mot dem. Den anså seg som frigjørende, men har oppdaget at den er forfølgende."
Utover bokens innhold er Syndebukken også en utmerket kritikk av dagens overrasjonaliserte vitenskapelighet, som Girard er i stand til å vise er dogmatisk og lite produktiv i møte med sosial mytologisering.
"Det var ikke fordi menneskene fant opp vitenskapen at de sluttet med heksejakten, det var fordi de sluttet med heksejakt at de fant opp vitenskapen. Den vitenskapelige ånden er, akkurat som forretningsånden i økonomien, et biprodukt av den evangeliske tekstens dypvirkning. Det moderne Vesten har glemt åpenbaringen og er bare opptatt av biproduktene. Vestens mennesker har omdannet de til våpen, til instrumenter for maktutøvelse, men nå har prosessen snudd seg mot dem. Den anså seg som frigjørende, men har oppdaget at den er forfølgende."
January 18, 2009
Fantastic.
June 25, 2018
Un po' pedante, e soprattutto emerge la sua irritazione per le reazione che le sue teorie hanno suscitato. Concordo con le sue tesi, e mi hanno aiutato a vedere la realtà da un nuovo punto di vista ma doveva essere più sintetico
November 13, 2020
In The Scapegoat René Girard defends the gospels and their anti-scapegoat narrative, as it leads to “ethical change”. He says that “[t]he unanimous mimeticism of the scapegoat is the true ruler of human society” (p.145). The Christian “true myth” is the only one that can quell this central aspect of human nature and society. It’s because its focus is on the righteous scapegoat, “the sacred type of representation of persecution” (p.114). The revelation “assures the reformation of the authorities through the mediation of the scapegoat, or in other words the sacred” (p.115).
Girard makes a psychosocial interpretation of the gospels. (But, as usual, he generalizes too much and argues that virtually all myths, including the Oedipus, are scapegoat myths.) Historically, the sociological mechanism behind the scapegoat sacrifice is “to limit violence as much as possible but to turn to it, if necessary, as a last resort to avoid an even greater violence” (p.113).
For this reason, he laments the modern view that the Christian story is mere ignorant superstition. In fact, it provides an understanding of the scapegoat problem, which is equally relevant today. He also criticizes authors, like James Frazer, who only see “themes and motifs” but cultivate no deeper understanding. We mustn’t relinquish the theme of the sacred sacrifice simply because it irritates us, as if it were an archaic form of piety that we ought to eradicate.
Girard defends Christianity, not so much from a religious perspective, but from a perspective of social psychology. Does he succeed? I think the scapegoat motif is central to a certain breed of people, but far from all. (It pertains to narcissistic psychology.) He ignores important theological explanations, such as the centrality of the righteousness of God. God must intervene and punish sin, otherwise He cannot be viewed as righteous. So Jesus saves humanity and the world by carrying our collective guilt, otherwise it would lead to catastrophic consequences, such as hostile invasions and crop failure. This perspective is more metaphysical and centers on divine justice. The fear of catastrophes caused by the sinfulness of the people was paramount in biblical times.
The view from social psychology is relevant but too narrow. When discussing Christianity one must always relate to earlier thinkers, such as Augustine and Aquinas. Similarly, an author on physics cannot hope to be taken seriously if he disregards what Einstein and Bohr have said. Girard is wrong in explaining the sacrificial myths as entirely predicated on violence in human society. By example, the sacrifice and death of the god means the incarnation of the divine. It is a creation myth. In pagan theology, all things we see have their origin from the sacrifice of a god. Girard makes many assertions but rarely bolster them empirically or theologically. Although it contains much food for thought, it’s a meandering book that could have been much shorter.
Girard makes a psychosocial interpretation of the gospels. (But, as usual, he generalizes too much and argues that virtually all myths, including the Oedipus, are scapegoat myths.) Historically, the sociological mechanism behind the scapegoat sacrifice is “to limit violence as much as possible but to turn to it, if necessary, as a last resort to avoid an even greater violence” (p.113).
For this reason, he laments the modern view that the Christian story is mere ignorant superstition. In fact, it provides an understanding of the scapegoat problem, which is equally relevant today. He also criticizes authors, like James Frazer, who only see “themes and motifs” but cultivate no deeper understanding. We mustn’t relinquish the theme of the sacred sacrifice simply because it irritates us, as if it were an archaic form of piety that we ought to eradicate.
Girard defends Christianity, not so much from a religious perspective, but from a perspective of social psychology. Does he succeed? I think the scapegoat motif is central to a certain breed of people, but far from all. (It pertains to narcissistic psychology.) He ignores important theological explanations, such as the centrality of the righteousness of God. God must intervene and punish sin, otherwise He cannot be viewed as righteous. So Jesus saves humanity and the world by carrying our collective guilt, otherwise it would lead to catastrophic consequences, such as hostile invasions and crop failure. This perspective is more metaphysical and centers on divine justice. The fear of catastrophes caused by the sinfulness of the people was paramount in biblical times.
The view from social psychology is relevant but too narrow. When discussing Christianity one must always relate to earlier thinkers, such as Augustine and Aquinas. Similarly, an author on physics cannot hope to be taken seriously if he disregards what Einstein and Bohr have said. Girard is wrong in explaining the sacrificial myths as entirely predicated on violence in human society. By example, the sacrifice and death of the god means the incarnation of the divine. It is a creation myth. In pagan theology, all things we see have their origin from the sacrifice of a god. Girard makes many assertions but rarely bolster them empirically or theologically. Although it contains much food for thought, it’s a meandering book that could have been much shorter.
November 4, 2022
voto: 4.5
un libro fondamentale per comprendere il pensiero di Girard e facilmente usufruibile grazie ad una prosa semplice e fluida (seppur pregna di concetti e pensieri).
non do 5/5 semplicemente perchè l'ho trovato in diversi un po' ripetitivo, troppo concentrato a rispondere ai "fantomatici critici" invece di andare più a fondo nell'analisi.
un libro fondamentale per comprendere il pensiero di Girard e facilmente usufruibile grazie ad una prosa semplice e fluida (seppur pregna di concetti e pensieri).
non do 5/5 semplicemente perchè l'ho trovato in diversi un po' ripetitivo, troppo concentrato a rispondere ai "fantomatici critici" invece di andare più a fondo nell'analisi.
October 18, 2017
This one definitely took a while for me to get into, but once it moved from the Greek myths to the Bible, everything suddenly fell into place and WOW this analysis. All in all, a very interesting read.
November 1, 2022
Este livro desenvolve um elemento especial da teoria mimética do antropólogo da religião René Girard, o bode expiatório. Todos nós já ouvimos essa expressão que designa alguém ou algo a ser sacrificado pelo bem maior e para que a ordem seja reestabelecida. Para Giraud, o desejo mimético do ser humano, ou seja, sua vontade mais profunda de imitação, está na violência e no confronto contra aqueles que não compactuam com suas ideias ou identidades. Esse confronto se torna pior quando é coletivizado e que a polarização entre dois lados de uma mesma sociedade é uma constante que acompanha o homem desde tempos imemoriais e que faz parte do processo civilizatório. O círculo de violência e pacificação se repete de tempos em tempos, e a ordem somente é retomada a partir da morte. No caso, a morte do bode expiatório. Jesus Cristo, João Batista, Balder, os judeus, as bruxas, são exemplos de bodes expiatórios utilizados durante a história e nos mitos humanos. Temos visto mais e mais destes bodes expiatórios surgirem durante os últimos anos. Mais recentemente, a democracia tem se tornado o mais forte candidato a bode expiatório do mundo, visto as campanhas para sua extinção em regimes extremistas.Ainda escreverei mais profundamente sobre isso. O bode expiatório é um livro muito interessante para se pensar o instinto violento e as pulsões de morte do ser humano.
February 21, 2024
Livre passionnant, surtout le premier chapitre qui est particulièrement éclairant.
Dans la continuité intellectuelle de Dumezil, l’auteur étaye sa théorie par des exemples particulièrement riches, et une analyse réellement profonde démontrant une véritable rigueur intellectuelle.
Les idées développées sont intéressantes. Elles sont corroborées par une étude sociologique à toutes les époques. Les réflexions theleologiques sont captivantes.
Quel dommage cependant que le livre serve à régler des comptes pour d’obscurs conflits intellectuels qui n’ont rien à faire dans les développements. C’est insupportable, le lecteur est pris en otage dans un monologue sans fin. A se demander si l’auteur n’essaie pas de nous démontrer qu’il est un bouc émissaire médiatique et universitaire.
Une conclusion aurait été la bienvenue pour tirer des conclusions. Le lecteur est laissé en plans entre Satan, Pierre, et Guillaume de Machault.
Dans la continuité intellectuelle de Dumezil, l’auteur étaye sa théorie par des exemples particulièrement riches, et une analyse réellement profonde démontrant une véritable rigueur intellectuelle.
Les idées développées sont intéressantes. Elles sont corroborées par une étude sociologique à toutes les époques. Les réflexions theleologiques sont captivantes.
Quel dommage cependant que le livre serve à régler des comptes pour d’obscurs conflits intellectuels qui n’ont rien à faire dans les développements. C’est insupportable, le lecteur est pris en otage dans un monologue sans fin. A se demander si l’auteur n’essaie pas de nous démontrer qu’il est un bouc émissaire médiatique et universitaire.
Une conclusion aurait été la bienvenue pour tirer des conclusions. Le lecteur est laissé en plans entre Satan, Pierre, et Guillaume de Machault.
May 4, 2019
One for the 'just read a recap and/or explanation' bin.
In "The Scapegoat" René Girard develops his theories around mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism: humans copy from each other their desires, this develops into violence and to cope with that there comes a scapegoat found by the group (thank you internet). In the book, he develops and connects those ideas to different myths and religious writings, relating ideas and human behavior to stories (or histories), in particular centering around the figure of Jesucrist and how this is a particular case, because it breaks the circle of violence against scapegoats, as he 'come back to life and showed that the system was broken' (thank you again, internet). So ideas of persecution, human behavior, mimetism... It sounds, and it is, really interesting.
However, as always with those books, the ideas are better than the delivery, and 50 pages could have covered the 275 that the Spanish version fills. The beginning is really good and interesting, but then, things kind of start going in circles. It is just Girard going on and on and on and on, for way too long, and becoming really repetitive. Mimetic, one would say, his chapters are.
The best: the ideas, about persecution, sacrifice and scapegoat'ing are quite interesting
The worst: too long and repetitive, too many 'this is like this because I say so', too many 'my critics will say blah blah blah' kind of sentences...
Alternatives: Foucault? Enloe? Ayer? Bettelheim? Rorty? Chomsky?
5/10
(Spanish translation by Joaquim Jordà)
In "The Scapegoat" René Girard develops his theories around mimetic desire and the scapegoat mechanism: humans copy from each other their desires, this develops into violence and to cope with that there comes a scapegoat found by the group (thank you internet). In the book, he develops and connects those ideas to different myths and religious writings, relating ideas and human behavior to stories (or histories), in particular centering around the figure of Jesucrist and how this is a particular case, because it breaks the circle of violence against scapegoats, as he 'come back to life and showed that the system was broken' (thank you again, internet). So ideas of persecution, human behavior, mimetism... It sounds, and it is, really interesting.
However, as always with those books, the ideas are better than the delivery, and 50 pages could have covered the 275 that the Spanish version fills. The beginning is really good and interesting, but then, things kind of start going in circles. It is just Girard going on and on and on and on, for way too long, and becoming really repetitive. Mimetic, one would say, his chapters are.
The best: the ideas, about persecution, sacrifice and scapegoat'ing are quite interesting
The worst: too long and repetitive, too many 'this is like this because I say so', too many 'my critics will say blah blah blah' kind of sentences...
Alternatives: Foucault? Enloe? Ayer? Bettelheim? Rorty? Chomsky?
5/10
(Spanish translation by Joaquim Jordà)
October 5, 2020
Interesting thesis. Same argument/thesis style as in The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind: reinterpretation of older texts and identifying similar patterns. I do think there is something there to the thesis but I should probably read Girard's other stuff because this book doesn't go into as much detail into the concept of mimesis which is quite important to the argument here.
January 7, 2022
There is clearly something profound being said in this book, but the way in which it is said is really inexcusable: the prose style manages to somehow be both repetitive *and* vague, with Girard endlessly circling and re-circling around the point without ever quite getting into a position to properly make it. I grew increasingly impatient with this as the book wore on. Mary Warnock said that it was 'positively wrong' of Sartre to write his Critique of Dialectical Reason in the manner which he did. I felt this about Girard. It should not be difficult to state one's ideas plainly, even if they are complicated - and, indeed, the more complicated they are, the plainer the statement should be.
May 8, 2017
Varies from profound and fascinating thinking to over the top assertions. Unpacking an idea of " the scapegoat " if relation to community , culture, stories, myth etc is fascinating. Borders on brilliance more than once. Hints of a Jared Diamond style synthesis albeit via a single slice. Falls over at the end by putting bible myths above other myths. Still , perspectives rè bible stories is fascinating. Almost Nietzschian in terms of pushing an idea to extremes. Disappoints with firmly wearing gig goggles yet still works as an original lens to gain insights
August 1, 2013
What an enlightening look at the purpose of myth and how Christ puts an end to our "scapegoating". It is a revealing look at human social behavior and the collective evils we participate in to establish a pseudo unity. We still see this type of behavior in the reflection of our flags, nationalism, and wars today. Jesus reveals it for what it is...
December 21, 2019
Diverse losse teksten, nogal stroef taalgebruik. Klassiek thema van de noodzakelijke zondebok in elke cultuur of samenleving.
December 7, 2015
Predictable five-star score.
Read
August 22, 2017жизнь никогда не будет прежней. что если локи не виноват в смерти бальдра и был оклеветан, а мифы, которые мы принимаем на веру, на самом деле маскируют гонения?
January 2, 2023
Dense, difficult read. Took me forever to get through. May enjoy more on a second read.
May 16, 2022
Girard's work is very interesting, highly recommend. This one can get a bit rambly and could use some editing down, but it's still a worthwhile read.
Read
August 24, 2022i have to reread this in like 1 year
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