Modernity | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

Rescued by Christianity, modernity is distinctly different than the violent, deceitful, and stagnant societies of yore. We are the most loving, truthful, and innovative culture ever to exist. Resting uneasily alongside this fundamental affirmation of modernity, however, is Girard’s puzzling insistence that things have barely changed at all: we now simply persecute victims under the banner of love, rigidly adhere to scientific dogmas under the guise of free inquiry, and package trivialities as radical innovations. Despite our high-minded ideals, stubborn human nature refuses to budge and, so, the perversions of modernity take on the shape of hypocrisy. Even humanity’s greatest triumph is terribly ambivalent and limited. Some links to further guide your study: * Join my email list to be notified of future episodes: greatbooks.io * Full transcript: open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-of-… TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:11 Modernity as Rupture 00:08:09 Modernity as Continuity 00:11:18 Metaphor of the Rocket 00:13:40 The Force of Love 00:22:08 Theatre 00:24:49 Hypocrisy 00:34:13 The Force of Truth 00:38:11 The Epistemology of Love 00:47:50 The Church of Science 00:59:39 The Blindspots of Science 01:05:06 The Force of Innovation 01:15:49 Fashion 01:22:00 An Ephemeral Triumph