René Girard's Mimetic Theory

Why it’s on the list: Palaver’s systematic introduction to Girard — mimetic desire, the scapegoat mechanism, and the biblical reading — the standard way in for someone who wants the whole theory rather than one book of it.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @SpencrGreenberg’s question, “What non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world (or how humanity or society) really works?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet). It was listed there as “René Girard’s Mimetic Theory by Wolfgang Palaver”.

Connections

• René Girard — The subject.
• Mimetic Theory — The theory the book systematises.
• Religion — Girard’s destination.
• Culture — What the scapegoat mechanism is an account of.
• A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.