Reflective mimesis and ethics of the cross in the mimetic theory of Rene Girard: towards an inclusive humanism : doctoral dissertation

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Abstract

According to René Girard’s anthropological interpretation of the Event of the cross of Jesus Christ, the cross represents the historical moment when the unjust nature of the scapegoat mechanism that held sway of primitive society was exposed. In his Mimetic Theory, mimetic desire is the unconscious, involuntary, uncontrollable driving force of human acts. He proffered the Imitation of Christ i.e. a reversal of the will to violence, as the solution to scapegoating. Unfortunately, the imitation of Christ involves a mental reflection that is inconsistent with the mimetic theory. This Christological solution i.e. the Imitation of Christ, to an anthropological crisis as proposed by Girard does not make for a rational understanding of the action of the cross. On the contrary, a reflective mimesis informed by the action of the cross, is supportive of a rational understanding of the cross as such, unaided by any appeal to religious faith. This thesis argues for reflective mimesis as an ethical disposition, a paradigm and a point of reference of social integration.