Economics Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Imitation: Imitation is the act of copying the behavior or appearance of another person or thing. It is a natural and important part of human development. See also Stages of Development._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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René Girard on Imitation - Dictionary of Arguments
Krastev I 11 Imitation/Girard/Krastev: (...) Girard argued (...) that imitation’s centrality to the human condition has been misleadingly and dangerously neglected by historians and social scientists. >Historiography, >History, >Psychology. He devoted his career to studying how imitation can breed psychological trauma and social conflict. This happens, he claimed, when the model imitated becomes an obstacle to the self-esteem and self-realization of the imitator.(1) Cf. >Imitation/Psychology. The form of imitation most likely to generate resentment and conflict, according to Girard, is the imitation of desires. We imitate not just means but also ends, not just technical instruments but also targets, objectives, goals and ways of life. This, in our opinion, is the inherently stressful and contentious form of emulation that has helped trigger the current sweeping anti-liberal revolt. According to Girard, human beings want something not because it is inherently appealing or desirable, but only because somebody else wants it, an observation that makes the ideal of human autonomy seem illusory. >Autonomy. Imitating the goals of others is also associated, Girard argues, with rivalry, resentment, and threats to personal identity. >Goals, >Resentment. Politics/post-communist world/Krastev: Girard’s insight into the persistent tendency of imitation to breed resentment, while based almost exclusively on the analysis of literary texts, is nevertheless highly pertinent to understanding why a contagious uprising against liberal democracy began in the post-communist world. Cf. >Dostoevsky/Girard. 1. René Girard, Deceit, Desire, and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976); Battling to the End: Conversations with Benoît Chantre (Michigan State University Press, 2009)._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Girard, René Krastev I Ivan Krastev Stephen Holmes The Light that Failed: A Reckoning London 2019 |
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