Violence and the Sacred

Che fai tu, dormitore? “Presto, in nome degli dèi, nascondetemi da qualche parte lontano da qui: uccidetemi o gettatemi in mare in un punto dove non mi vediate mai”. Sofocle, Edipo Re Che cos'è il sacro? Secondo René Girard, è ciò che domina l'uomo tanto quanto egli si creda capace di dominarlo. La su......more

Girard's is a hugely ambitious project: a sort of grand-theory-of-everything, a prodigal son to psychoanalysis, bent on criticising mercilessly the Freudian project, while pursuing an essentially similar goal with, according to the author, a much more rigorous analysis. Despite such scope, the book......more

'La violencia y lo sagrado' de René Girard es un libro provocador que se centra en la naturaleza de la violencia y su relación con lo sagrado en la historia de la humanidad. Girard propone la teoría de la víctima expiatoria como mecanismo fundamental para la resolución de conflictos y la creación de......more

Girard's theory of the origins of culture and religion as being founded on a horrific act of unanimous violence was groundbreaking and controversial when it first appeared in 1972. To my view, it represents an astounding and nearly unbelievably comprehensive synthesis of sacred, ritualistic, and rel......more

Maybe the best book of Rene Girard. It should be read as a book of philosophy, its vast ambitions taken into account. I feel that a comment on the pertinent (but in my opinion symptomatic) review made by Fatima has its place here (read that review first). >> The idea that Girard, or anybody, may be abo......more