I finally decided to read Rene Girard, and all I can fit
into a one paragraph review are statements, so let’s just make them bullet
points:
n
Girard thinks like Darwin. I don’t mean that he’s
as important a thinker as Darwin was, but that he has a simple but effective
mechanism that may tie the social level together the same way Darwin’s
mechanism tied together biology. Girard’s scapegoat mechanism functions like
Darwin’s variation + selection. (One could argue both are Malthusian.)
n
It’s highly significant that Girard came to his
Catholic faith through his academic work. It’s hard to find these stories, but
it shouldn’t be. They’re surprisingly common.
n
This particular selection answered most of my
questions. I was curious about the implications for the creation of humans and
also how this fits with scripture. I would have liked a little more on the
former is all, but otherwise this Reader is remarkably balanced. The sections
on literature and Freud/Nietzsche were less relevant but the inclusion of the
interview at the end is perfect – in fact, I read it first and recommend you do
the same.
I’m still digesting Girard but I only get rocked by a new
(to me) thinker about once per year, and this is Girard’s year. You’ll hear
more about Girard in my future scribblings, of that I’m sure.