Introduction to Mimetic Theory | René Girard

Lecture I gives a brief overview of Girard’s life and work. It summarizes the key conclusions of mimetic theory, distilling the most crucial ideas of this 10+ hour long lectures series into a digestible 2 hours. For those who are short on time, this synopsis is sufficient to give you a taste of Girard. For those embarking on the full journey, this lecture is a rough map that will orient you throughout the expansive, tumultuous, and dizzying terrain ahead.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:05 The Case for Engaging Girard
00:19:34 The Structure of This Lecture Series
00:23:52 Girard's Biography
00:29:06 What We Cover in Lecture I
00:30:45 Mimesis
00:33:43 Metaphysical Desire
00:42:04 The Negative Phase of Mimesis
00:51:20 The Scapegoat Mechanism
01:03:05 Christianity
01:10:55 Love and Hypocrisy
01:13:38 Truth and Dogma
01:18:04 Innovation and Imitation
01:26:02 Violence and Apocalypse
01:37:16 The Case Against Engaging Girard

Пікірлер: 525

  • @arlesbarkly
    @arlesbarkly3 ай бұрын

    the whole format of this lecture is another form of status signaling etc - a more refined form of mimesis! the suits the backdrop, the way they speak, the haircuts, etc! honestly, it’s great. when i was in college my problem wasn’t the mimesis itself, but the fact that people werent imitating the right stuff. now here are some actual smart, relatively independent-thinking people imitating the philosophy elites of the past. which is awesome, i mean that, but its not a transcending of mimetic desire, rather we like it because its a preferable type of person to imitate!

  • @thepotatoist

    @thepotatoist

    29 күн бұрын

    This comment is gold. Everyone here should read it.

  • @krishnashukla9154

    @krishnashukla9154

    19 күн бұрын

    True it would be much better if they did the interview naked and didn't do their hair.

  • @gmbs360

    @gmbs360

    9 күн бұрын

    ​@@thepotatoistseconded.

  • @404errorpagenotfound.6

    @404errorpagenotfound.6

    5 күн бұрын

    ​@@krishnashukla9154 😮😂😂

  • @aadhunik1861

    @aadhunik1861

    2 күн бұрын

    what about the analog watches

  • @marcusmagalhaes5008
    @marcusmagalhaes50088 ай бұрын

    It's literally absurd that this level of content and production is completely free. Thank you very much, Johnathan! Incredible work!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    8 ай бұрын

    My pleasure!

  • @macleod73

    @macleod73

    6 ай бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan Science existed DESPITE Christianity - take Galileo as an example - Girard was just flat out wrong at the idea that Christianity enabled science.

  • @nickratti5796

    @nickratti5796

    4 ай бұрын

    Legit was thinking this exact same thing haha. I'm 25min in and all I'm thinking is what a time to be alive haha

  • @tocreatee3585

    @tocreatee3585

    3 ай бұрын

    this is start of another scientology. 🤣🤣🤣

  • @TheQuantumPotato
    @TheQuantumPotato3 ай бұрын

    There's an irony that the backdrop and presentation of the speakers is completely focused on signalling status.

  • @conforzo

    @conforzo

    2 ай бұрын

    Yeah. Out of 2000 students all want to go into the same 4 fields. Finance, tech, law and medicin. And then he created a fin-trch company. 😂

  • @straussbolkonsky

    @straussbolkonsky

    2 ай бұрын

    yeah and he actually recognizes this

  • @ryepooh5052

    @ryepooh5052

    Ай бұрын

    did you want them to wear michael jordan jerseys and "frick vape" shirts only in small white socks in the back corner alley?

  • @DuskAndHerEmbrace13

    @DuskAndHerEmbrace13

    6 күн бұрын

    @@ryepooh5052 That's replacing one stereotype with another. They would do better dressing in an authentic way. They're cosplaying in this video on a naive, out-dated stereotype. They're trying to imitate a style that they're not capable of pulling off and it's just distracting. That's the naivety: dressing up for a social role they don't have. Not a damning criticism - the content of the video is fine - it's just the second-hand embarrassment. You just think stop playing dress-up. And change the fucking font at the beginning.

  • @404errorpagenotfound.6

    @404errorpagenotfound.6

    5 күн бұрын

    Even having a blank room would be signalling, there is no neutral space or action that can avoid it if I understand this correctly.

  • @MrStifleras
    @MrStifleras Жыл бұрын

    The clothing, the furniture, the library, the vocabulary, the exchange of high-level abstract ideas. This video represents everything that I always wished for. It is such a strange thing that I will never be able to have it because I was born in the wrong geographical area filled with disease, unemployment and a general dismissal of anything cerebral. Moral of the story? Never forget your blessings and be grateful!

  • @redacted6580

    @redacted6580

    Жыл бұрын

    My deepest sympathy and condolences for being born in California.

  • @mcosu1

    @mcosu1

    Жыл бұрын

    Everything you always wished for? Sounds like mimetic desire

  • @MrStifleras

    @MrStifleras

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mcosu1 If I was the only person in the world, would I have desires?

  • @kenneth1lian

    @kenneth1lian

    11 ай бұрын

    to be honest everything about this video is so gay

  • @awh4272

    @awh4272

    10 ай бұрын

    Those are all excuses. People have come from far less and achieved far more. You can have what you want if you set a clear, solid vision and work towards it, but most people never set a solid anything.

  • @tomkleingers6483
    @tomkleingers6483 Жыл бұрын

    I will never understand how fantastic content like this gets less exposure than the unimaginative, from-a-kit, novocaine of mainstream media.

  • @dangerdac

    @dangerdac

    4 ай бұрын

    Most adult humans are unfortunately morons.

  • @dangerdac

    @dangerdac

    4 ай бұрын

    Mimesis. Mimesis is literally the answer to your question 😂

  • @DS-ej7zt

    @DS-ej7zt

    13 күн бұрын

    You said it yourself. "Novocaine" feels good.

  • @yogamac

    @yogamac

    5 күн бұрын

    Because they are both tools. With Shithead socks.

  • @paulatreides9895
    @paulatreides9895 Жыл бұрын

    Digging, digging, digging for answers…. Oh, what’s this? I see a vein….wait, omg! It’s the mother load!!! Thanks for this. Presenting it in such a concise and enjoyable way. Very much looking forward to the rest of the series.

  • @jmalin9133
    @jmalin9133 Жыл бұрын

    The internet is coming to life. The signal is starting to circumambulate and separate itself from all the noise for those who earnestly seek. It’s an incredible time to be alive.

  • @rickcoffaro9658

    @rickcoffaro9658

    9 ай бұрын

    I’m u II u

  • @rickcoffaro9658

    @rickcoffaro9658

    9 ай бұрын

    I’m II II u II u u I II II u II u I II u u I u u u i

  • @rickcoffaro9658

    @rickcoffaro9658

    9 ай бұрын

    Ughuuhuh

  • @rickcoffaro9658

    @rickcoffaro9658

    9 ай бұрын

    Vvvvvv

  • @rickcoffaro9658

    @rickcoffaro9658

    9 ай бұрын

    Hug II II

  • @DavidPerellChannel
    @DavidPerellChannel2 жыл бұрын

    Studying Girard made me see how much the drive for prestige shapes our ambitions. Ever since we finished this lecture, I’ve been asking myself: “What opportunities can’t I see because they’re not prestigious enough?” The very best opportunities are rarely prestigious when there’s big money to be made with them. In my experience, the lust for prestige is the strongest amongst high-status people. When looking for jobs, children from high-status families tend to value prestige the most. In another world, these people would take bets on exciting, but non-prestigious projects with big upside. My friend Justin Murphy writes: "You don't really outperform your peers with quality per se, you outperform your peers by finding underpriced quality that others don’t judge to be valuable.” Everybody wants to be high status. But despite the financial rewards, few people are willing to work on low-status projects, even if they have the potential to become high-status. Most of the people who are jumping into Bitcoin now weren’t willing to commit a few years ago, back when people scoffed at the idea of digital money. Only after reading Rene Girard did I realize the dangers of chasing too much prestige. The worst rivalries, he said, come when people aren’t competing for a physical object. Duels and comment thread wars come to mind. To that end, it’s no coincidence that the Latin word for prestige is praestigiae, which signifies an illusion or mirage. The world is filled with under-priced opportunities that are only available to people who are comfortable with promising, but low-status projects. Beware of chasing prestige.

  • @InquilineKea

    @InquilineKea

    2 жыл бұрын

    Omg everyone should Google David his essays are incredible

  • @ebiekutanmichael7661

    @ebiekutanmichael7661

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks David. Your essays and ideas have always been inspiring. And Justin is a great guy too. The way he links up scriptures with Bitcoin, Ah amazing

  • @ytaccount

    @ytaccount

    2 жыл бұрын

    "vanity of vanities, all is vanity" - ecclesiastes 1:2

  • @johnpor175

    @johnpor175

    Жыл бұрын

    1:26:02

  • @The_paradox_of_Youth

    @The_paradox_of_Youth

    4 ай бұрын

    🤌🏼

  • @rorrymaul1005
    @rorrymaul10054 ай бұрын

    this right here, is the content i want to see in youtube, educational, well made, entertaining, engaging, pls gents keep doing the great work you are doing.

  • @limitlesspatricio777
    @limitlesspatricio77710 ай бұрын

    This is one of the best hidden gems of KZread.

  • @mosiahkeels8987
    @mosiahkeels89874 ай бұрын

    Thank you for this depth of art you have curated for the general public.

  • @wellsm5930
    @wellsm59302 жыл бұрын

    This lecture was so compelling that it overshadows the personal quibbles by others on here.

  • @kdpunshon3073
    @kdpunshon3073 Жыл бұрын

    Brilliant! So well done! Waiting for lecture 2. You two could fire up any sluggish mind. Thank you so much!!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    The wait is over KD :) Lec 2 and 3 are up with more coming in the next two weeks

  • @ilovetriple90210
    @ilovetriple90210 Жыл бұрын

    Well done guys. So much work went into producing this so we can digest the content in a format that's actually entertaining. Kudos to you both

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Eric, we tried!

  • @Belioyt

    @Belioyt

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@@bi.johnathan you got yourself a new subscriber 😊. Keep them coming

  • @CristineChenChen
    @CristineChenChen Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this Johnathan and David. I am so happy this exists. I'll watch all the lecture series. Cheers to both of you.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for engaging with our work Cristine!

  • @CWCoffman
    @CWCoffman2 жыл бұрын

    Well done David and Jonathan-you’ve produced a cracking lecture on Girard! It’s a great act of compassion and generosity to raise general awareness to the urgent need for all of us to begin “untangling from the mimetic web.” This awesome introductory lecture is a fitting culmination to David’s outstanding and insightful essay on the theology of Peter Thiel-which I found startling at the time, since his excellent book “Zero to One” gives no hint of his Girardian conceptual foundation. Although Jonathan’s lecture and David’s comments are rigorous and scholarly, it felt authentic and poignant to listen to you both offer personal testimony to the difficulties, even anguish, which brought you to Girard’s work-those personal comments resonate as such a profound critique of the elite world in which we now live: “We had to lie to ourselves . . . (about) this path of prestige . . . What was so existentially depressing was not the presence of wrong . . . but the absence of right. Even the victories felt so hollow and meaningless . . . because they were not the result of our own genuine desire . . . They were fundamentally plagued with the same type of existential problems: “make money you don’t need to buy things you don’t want to impress people you don’t like.’ The same despair and hollowness . . . but even worse.” The courage you both showed in your own life journeys in order to reject the delusion of mimetic desire and to be honest-and to begin to live differently-and now to share what you know with the world, affirms the truth of Leonard Cohen’s insight “There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.” Leonard of course is himself a singer of mimetic desire. That’s not my insight, but that of my mentor Geoffrey Green, who studied with Girard at Buffalo. Girard was one of the readers of Geoffrey’s PhD thesis, and they stayed in contact for the rest of Girard’s life. Geoffrey points out that Leonard’s songs are full of the triangle of mimetic desire--I could offer many examples but this comment is too short. Your lecture is an outstanding, in-depth introduction to ideas that are urgently important for our world-and for what’s coming next, which we all feel, with uneasiness and growing alarm-but without being able to identify what, exactly, is coming. You both are providing the Girardian tools to discern the general form of what’s coming--even though we can't predict it's exact manifestation and specific expression: mimetic envy and desire gaining momentum through digital-enabled media into a vast contagion before violently manifesting in (a perhaps global) scapegoat event. The last fifteen minutes of your lecture in which you discuss the four takeaways of truth, love, innovation and violence is absolutely brilliant. I so look forward to Jonathan's full discussion of these insights in subsequent lectures. Jonathan talks about Girard’s thought being “cheap” in a good sense, and compares the power of Girard’s idea of mimetic desire to Freud’s notion of the Oedipus Complex and shows how much more profound and powerful mimetic desire is. I came to Nietzsche long before Girard and had a similar realization in relation to Nietzsche’s idea of ressentiment, which is such a feature of our world-and I too realized that Girard’s idea of mimetic desire and mimetic contagion is a much deeper and more profound explanation than Nietzsche's insight. Jonathan may already be preparing to go there in the next lectures in the series, but may I suggest that Girard’s idea of mimetic desire is just as fundamental an explanation for human psychological, social and political development as natural selection is for evolutionary biology? I realize there are many lectures to come, and I hope that you both explore the Girardian implications of mimetic desire as it’s now manifesting in NGOs, philanthropic foundations, the widows and ex-wives of billionaires deceitfully mimicking the appearance of capitalist structures while pouring huge resources into pursuing their own personal mimetic status-seeking instead of actually improving general wellbeing. Their mimetic behaviour is actually enflaming the conflagration of popular mimetic resentment in our society already becoming incandescent (literally-as in the summer of 2020-and figuratively) through identity politics and its many metasizations. The transfer of wealth from John Heinz to John Kerry, which required the creation of a multi-generation family dynasty, Heinz’s second marriage to a beautiful expatriate Leftie wife, a tragic plane crash, and her subsequent status-seeking marriage to the politician John Kerry, is now a routine paradigm that can happen in one or two steps, facilitated by the magic of Donor Advised Trusts and other modern instruments of civilizational self-destruction as the oligarchs in our master class hurry us all towards apocalypse. I hope in future lectures Jonathan discusses how neuroscience also strongly affirms the Girardian focus on human sociality in ways to complex and wonderful to mention in this comment, but I hope Jonathan delves into the neuroscience and the latest developments in evolutionary biology emphasizing mothering and socialization generally as the key to human evolution. Another deep topic for Girardian analysis is economics of course-the science of allocating a society’s resources in the context of limitless human desire-a fundamental field for Girardian analysis, and I hope Jonathan and David follow this up based on your own knowledge and experiences in FinTech and Silicon Valley. Certainly David’s insight that many entrepreneurs he knows were criminals in high school is very true and, as Jonathan says, a testament to the miracle of how capitalism channels aggressive, competitive mimetic desire into activity that has improved general wellbeing so such an extraordinary degree. Your lecture series is an urgently necessary antidote to the increasingly frightening consequences of the over-production of pseudo-elites in our time, who are anointed only by mimetic consensus. Our Master Class, oblivious to the Girardian dynamics you have revealed so clearly in this first lecture, are mimicking the original capitalist and Constitutional processes of the American State-which in their period of great flourishing both created unprecedented virtue and unimaginable benefits to humanity through the Girardian ratchet mechanisms of channeling mimetic desire and competition. Only now, unconsciously in the grip of white-hot mimetic contagion, our Master Class is performing these functions in destructive ways that are intensifying mimetic desires and resentment and generating increasing violence and escalating an emerging popular longing to identify and murder-and then, yes, perhaps deify-a scapegoat or class of scapegoats, along with the millions of others who will be inexorably sucked into what may be the coming Great Terror of the 21st Century.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the incredibly detailed comment here Christopher and my apologies for being too busy to muster an equally thoughtful response in reply. We've filmed all 7 lectures already but you managed to anticipate a lot of what is to come: the neuroscience of mimesis (mirror neurons), an elaboration on the forces of innovation, truth, love, and violence, etc. I look forward to hearing your comments on the rest of this series.

  • @CWCoffman

    @CWCoffman

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan Thanks for your reply Jonathan-you must be exhausted after such an epic feat! Congratulations again to you and David.

  • @Brandon-tg7dl

    @Brandon-tg7dl

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan looking forward to watching the subsequent lectures! Well done, sir

  • @josephk.4200

    @josephk.4200

    4 ай бұрын

    A simpler explanation of the modern instability would be that the concentration of power into fewer hands while the planet is dying within a couple decades might be causing common people to be just a little afraid that our ruling class doesn’t care much for reality.

  • @MrHawkMan777
    @MrHawkMan7772 жыл бұрын

    Honestly the most underrated philosopher ever. Reading him actually changed my life, it convinced me that Christanity was worth actually considering and since then I've converted. But not just that, he also made me aware the origin of my desires, then showed me Christ as the solution to them.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Stay tuned for Lecture 5, focused on Christianity.

  • @esterhudson5104

    @esterhudson5104

    Жыл бұрын

    Bravo 👏

  • @jamesnoelward9116

    @jamesnoelward9116

    Жыл бұрын

    He always struck me as only a Christianized version of Sir James George Frazer.

  • @JoJoJoker
    @JoJoJoker Жыл бұрын

    Mimetics: learning about the theory for the first time and finding this lecture which is only a few months old. Thank you for this, it’s possibly the most important podcast I’ve listened to in my life.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks JoJo, the rest of the series is live, hope it doesn't disappoint.

  • @Sll8mag3
    @Sll8mag3 Жыл бұрын

    Johnathan you've done a brilliant job and I'm glad to see the many positive responses. I've been reading Girard for over 20 years and wrote the book "Compassion Or Apocalypse: A Comprehensible Guide to the Thought of René Girard." I would love to connect with you sometime. Well done.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words James!

  • @COFFEEWITHBUDDHA

    @COFFEEWITHBUDDHA

    Жыл бұрын

    James, please read or your book to us on video. I’m stuck in the car 2 hours a day commuting to work!

  • @Sll8mag3

    @Sll8mag3

    Жыл бұрын

    @@COFFEEWITHBUDDHA I will pass the suggestion for audiobook on to the publisher. Thanks. Hope you find lots of great stuff to keep you occupied in the meantime.

  • @Need_better_handle

    @Need_better_handle

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Sll8mag3 there are a lot of apps that that can do it automatically now. Before this recent AI wave the last few months they were really robotic sounding. But there is a new one that can listen to your voice for a minute or two, and then it can automatically copy your voice and play the rest of the book with your voice automatically. It is not perfect, but it is close and the longer you speak the better it will fake your voice for the rest of the book.

  • @ashwinv89
    @ashwinv892 жыл бұрын

    Super excited for this series :) I've been driving people crazy with my newfound Girardian enlightenment :)

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad to hear we can feed your unhealthy Girard addiction :)

  • @vimota
    @vimota2 жыл бұрын

    "What makes us unique to Girard, is not our ability to determine truth, but our capacity to believe in lies, in so far as others around us do as well." Love it, keep it up guys.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for engaging with our work Victor!

  • @trajandeathimus2165
    @trajandeathimus21652 жыл бұрын

    well produced and well scripted. thanks for surfacing an underrated thinker david !

  • @AaronBrooks1
    @AaronBrooks12 жыл бұрын

    This is great save one distraction - the apparently un-self-aware irony of presenting this in a highly polished format, screen filled with status symbols, projecting the social queues of erudition. One might suggest that this format is designed to make the content appealing and increase the reach (or even specifically target those who need the message most), however, if this irony is left unaddressed, it becomes hypocrisy. After writing the above, I have to wonder if I've committed the same offense. Perhaps this disclaimer helps?

  • @stooforthecat

    @stooforthecat

    2 жыл бұрын

    This was the first thing I noticed. Love that you mentioned this

  • @MrPlayingpossum

    @MrPlayingpossum

    2 жыл бұрын

    Nerds. The both of you.

  • @JGMio

    @JGMio

    2 жыл бұрын

    For me it was Jonathan's socks. But agree, the suits and located in a "manor's study" seemed a bit ironic

  • @elektrochava

    @elektrochava

    2 жыл бұрын

    Spot on

  • @ajudicator

    @ajudicator

    2 жыл бұрын

    This is the first thing that struck me. Mimetic theory fundamentally is that our desires stem from social cues and this presentation is so very mimetic in itself It would be a pleasant Easter egg but it’s worrisome that it seems to be genuinely lost upon our “experts”

  • @mattayoubi9829
    @mattayoubi9829 Жыл бұрын

    This was unbelievably engrossing. Well done Jonathan.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Matt! Hope the rest of the series don’t disappoint

  • @madloop2456
    @madloop24562 жыл бұрын

    I have never seen something like this, brilliantly done. Eagerly waiting for the next set of lectures!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Shikhar, post production is taking its time but they are coming!

  • @BenningtonJorbitz

    @BenningtonJorbitz

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan lemme say that I completely agree with Shikhar and also happen to be a filmmaker who specializes in post production and I would very much love to pitch in and help get this off the ground.

  • @Sad.vocate

    @Sad.vocate

    Жыл бұрын

    *Beauty always carries a cost*

  • @gkopij
    @gkopij Жыл бұрын

    That was a fascinating introduction to your lectures about Girard's work. Perfect presentation, looking forward for the next chapter to unravel. I'm hooked.

  • @scottinguito5997
    @scottinguito599710 ай бұрын

    Excellent intro to Girard's thought. Very helpful to my own ongoing integration and practice of his ideas.

  • @arkipelagu
    @arkipelagu4 ай бұрын

    Can't stop thinking about Plato, mimetics, and the Apology. Hence Girard is another annotation on Plato. More dialectics, Mr. Bi. Thank you

  • @ChrisOgunlowo
    @ChrisOgunlowo8 ай бұрын

    Just discovered this. Brilliant, brilliant. Before now, I’ve been vaguely familiar with Girard. This conversation has been far more enlightening and profound. On to the next videos. Great production and suits, gentlemen👌🏽.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    8 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @vinavsharma9391
    @vinavsharma9391Ай бұрын

    Nothing to advertise in the background. The lecturer actually knows what he is talking about and the listener is not just listening, he is absorbing. You could tell the originality of the piece when the speaker tells the moderator that though he got all the things right about his career achievements, but he missed his failures. Including them is important as he attributes to where he is today because of them only. An amazing discourse on Rene Girard's school of thought. You guys are doing a great service to the society.

  • @mikemcgeeTV
    @mikemcgeeTV Жыл бұрын

    I am speechless. Phenomenal.

  • @COFFEEWITHBUDDHA
    @COFFEEWITHBUDDHA Жыл бұрын

    Oh My God. I think this is the best thing I’ve ever seen on KZread. Amazing

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for engaging with our work!

  • @MannyBernabe
    @MannyBernabe2 жыл бұрын

    So pumped for this series.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Excited for you to see the rest of these Manny.

  • @arcturus720
    @arcturus7202 жыл бұрын

    Phenomenal production Johnathan - thank you!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Anurag!

  • @itcouldbemedia
    @itcouldbemedia6 ай бұрын

    I have watched and rewatched this series multiple times

  • @ymatsu7823
    @ymatsu7823 Жыл бұрын

    Wow, this is the greatest lecture I've ever had on youtube. Thank you Jonathan for this wonderful content. The buddha who founded Buddhism, once said " The root of suffering is attachment (desire)". We will suffer from desire or attachment when we lose or can not attain it. So the Buddha believed we should get rid of everything of attachment or desire to escape from suffering. Girard pointed out our tendency of metaphysical desire to intimate other people or want what people want. And It's strengthened by other people's desires. I believe this might be a problem that should be solved by Buddhism.

  • @Arne_Boeses
    @Arne_Boeses2 жыл бұрын

    I’m so excited for this!

  • @MinhPhan-sf9hk
    @MinhPhan-sf9hk Жыл бұрын

    “The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.” I think this quote from Peter Thiel captured your point on the Negative Mimesis

  • @09bamasky
    @09bamasky9 ай бұрын

    🥱 Live another 25 years, then come back and lecture on these topics.

  • @kshitijshekhar1144

    @kshitijshekhar1144

    3 ай бұрын

    Found a member of the hivemind

  • @09bamasky

    @09bamasky

    3 ай бұрын

    @@kshitijshekhar1144 😂 oooh! Zinger!

  • @hammelbammel1651
    @hammelbammel16516 ай бұрын

    This was a very good lecture, Thank you! I have watched and summarized on paper the first lecture and already ordered the books from Girard quoted in this lecture,....looking forward to the next lectures...

  • @straussbolkonsky
    @straussbolkonsky Жыл бұрын

    Incredible lecture, thank you, and I'm really astonished by Girard idea's.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Our pleasure!

  • @kris2223334
    @kris2223334 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Great production!

  • @alexandervansteenberge1308
    @alexandervansteenberge1308 Жыл бұрын

    This is my first to hearing about Girard and memetic theory. What an introduction!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Hope the rest of the series don't dissapoint

  • @alexandervansteenberge1308

    @alexandervansteenberge1308

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan I surely will!

  • @souldoctornick
    @souldoctornick2 жыл бұрын

    Took a few days to get through this. Love the continued meddling you two do through Girard on my established beliefs. For those who are having trouble completing this but want to (and it’s worthwhile, as there are so many gems), I would follow David Perell’s newsletter first - it’s only because I’m already hooked that I know there’s a payoff. It’s much more accessible, and a stepping stone to diving deep. Thank you for getting this out, and looking forward to more.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Nicholas, we are looking forward to releasing the rest of the lectures as well.

  • @dorukdemirtas6074

    @dorukdemirtas6074

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan Hi when are new lectures coming?

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dorukdemirtas6074 this month!

  • @gabrieldiaz-aylwin5453
    @gabrieldiaz-aylwin5453 Жыл бұрын

    This is great, chaps. Thoroughly impressed!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Gabriel!

  • @becklowemsc
    @becklowemsc6 ай бұрын

    This is so well delivered and inspiring!

  • @MarioScianHQ
    @MarioScianHQ2 жыл бұрын

    Love it thanks for putting this together!

  • @zapzen
    @zapzen2 жыл бұрын

    Kudos! This is an awesome digested Girard intro. I must admit that I had some cognitive dissonance between the wisdom of the content and the boyish demeanor of the speakers. So I just listened. Awesome work guys!!

  • @daraghmoller6091
    @daraghmoller60912 жыл бұрын

    Admirable and compelling lecture, great voice! I like how the side-view of the camera references the eye to the bookcase, the chesterfield...

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Daragh, excited to share the rest of the lectures.

  • @murilochavesloureirofilho2109
    @murilochavesloureirofilho21092 жыл бұрын

    Such an amazing lecture! Keep it up, guys!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks murilo!

  • @shridharraghavan3729
    @shridharraghavan37292 жыл бұрын

    Only been exposed to Girard through Luke Burgis’ Wanting (which I loved). Found your introduction thoroughly fascinating and engrossing, and looking forward to the next session. Also, thanks for the transcript link. Rgds Shridhar

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for engaging Shridhar! The next one will be out in 4-5 weeks. We are done filming everything, in post production now.

  • @JGMio

    @JGMio

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan 5 weeks? What will I do with my life?!?

  • @nasar8480
    @nasar84802 жыл бұрын

    This was really good. Thank you for the lecture. Looking forward to lecture two :)

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Nasar, looking forward to releasing it as well.

  • @verfed
    @verfed4 ай бұрын

    This was great. I like you two. I've just started getting into menswear and have started noticing how others dress. I like how you were dressed, even your socks I noticed. Anyway, this was a fascinating lecture; I've never heard of René Girard before, and I intent to listen to the other lectures and read more about Girard's thought.

  • @clementinebedsheets3210

    @clementinebedsheets3210

    3 ай бұрын

    Noticing how others dress and wanting to imitate them? Might be the type of social signaling they're preaching against

  • @verfed

    @verfed

    3 ай бұрын

    @@clementinebedsheets3210I'm not preaching against social signaling. In fact, now that I'm dressing nicer, I want people to notice and be encouraged to dress nicer too. Certainly to be an example for my son and to look more like a man pushing 40 than 20. I've already gotten compliments from my wife and from my daughter's day-care worker.

  • @barkbellchennai
    @barkbellchennai Жыл бұрын

    "Who's this guy?" Absolutely brilliant! Great work Jonathan and David!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you Srikkanth for engaging with our work

  • @cgordonjr
    @cgordonjr9 күн бұрын

    Excellent exposition of Girard´s mimetic theory.

  • @user-uj3cc7ny9j
    @user-uj3cc7ny9j7 ай бұрын

    amazing lecture and its very easy to digest. thanks guys!

  • @nickel9962
    @nickel99627 ай бұрын

    This. This itched my brain in a most particular way

  • @cyriake7934
    @cyriake7934 Жыл бұрын

    It was a pleasure

  • @skipy3tube
    @skipy3tube2 жыл бұрын

    Pretty good. This video is definitely way underrated should have 100x more views at least

  • @roadtrippinwithkyle8521
    @roadtrippinwithkyle85212 жыл бұрын

    Looking forward to this Johnathan.

  • @jeffreywaxman7675
    @jeffreywaxman76752 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Johnathan and David. I especially appreciated having a transcript made available. I wonder if mirror neurons represent the neuroanatomical correlate of Girard's idea of mimesis. Hmmm...

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Stay tuned! We talk about this in lecture 2.

  • @docfi4635
    @docfi46352 жыл бұрын

    This lecture is 🔥, thank you!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @maroo7561
    @maroo75615 ай бұрын

    Gosh, love everything you said. I had a boyfriend who study Philosophy and I felt that philosophy is killing him. I agreed what gerard said that there is nothing we can change except withdrawl to preserve ourselves. I think my ex actually done that.

  • @daniellybeck8203
    @daniellybeck82037 ай бұрын

    Why do they talk they are selling a product in an infomercial?

  • @ChristopherCopeland

    @ChristopherCopeland

    2 ай бұрын

    Because it’s set up exactly like that. Cue cards and a fake conversation.

  • @samismx
    @samismx2 жыл бұрын

    Don’t listen to the haters. This is absolutely riveting. Absolutely well done.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Sam! Hope you enjoy the rest of the series as well.

  • @himanshujovi
    @himanshujovi2 жыл бұрын

    David you are doing great service. I am just 5 mins into it and hooked on to your comforting voice , the scholarly background. Can't wait to complete it in full. Btw any plans to have similiar series on other philosophers , say Schopanhauer ?

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Potentially ... stay tuned!

  • @HeroesFail
    @HeroesFail2 жыл бұрын

    Johnathan, you remind me so much of Professor Michael Sugrue. This is a great compliment. Girard has been difficult to digest. I’ve read Rousseau, Ellul, Debord, Baudrillard, and others, with success, I look forward to adding Girard to that list.

  • @DavidPerellChannel

    @DavidPerellChannel

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Professor Sugrue was a big inspiration for us, in terms of the style and cadence of the delivery.

  • @HeroesFail

    @HeroesFail

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@DavidPerellChannel It absolutely comes through. I first listened to Bi on Modern Wisdom and at times he was channeling Sugrue convincingly. The diction, annunciation, and flow are unmistakable. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    @@HeroesFail Sugrue is where we got the idea for producing this in lecture format. Flattered you drew the connection!

  • @christianrokicki

    @christianrokicki

    Жыл бұрын

    @@DavidPerellChannel ‘inspiration’ is mimesis in disguise 🎉 like being a smart dresser.

  • @great6084
    @great60842 жыл бұрын

    Awesome work guys!

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for taking the time to engage with our work!

  • @millerman
    @millerman2 жыл бұрын

    Great work, thank you.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @seinschein1
    @seinschein1 Жыл бұрын

    Hey Johnathan. Great job to you and David on this series. I did a Masters thesis years ago comparing the works of Martin Heidegger and Franz Rosenzweig, and eventually made my way out academia and existential philosophy with only mild case of depression. I mention Rosenzweig's work because I think at some time in the future you might find him illuminating for your ongoing work with Girard. Again, thanks for this series. Echoing another person here, it is a real gem.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Only a mild case, consider yourself lucky! Thanks for the kind words.

  • @Xanadu2025
    @Xanadu20255 ай бұрын

    This is what KZread was made for. Thanks, gents.

  • @eibelerp
    @eibelerp Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this guys!!! What a gem.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for engaging our content. The rest of the lectures will be released soon in december!

  • @eibelerp

    @eibelerp

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bi.johnathan I cant wait! Thank you

  • @_mayankr
    @_mayankr Жыл бұрын

    Waiting for the second lecture!

  • @Keilnoth
    @Keilnoth2 жыл бұрын

    The content is very interesting and I am very happy you spent so much time preparing this. Thank you. I didn't know René Girard but will definitely read more about him now, and I also subscribed to your newsletters. The setup is a bit overdone, I guess it's a style. My biggest complaint would be that the content is mostly read, and it's obvious the interactions are prepared, and polished. When a conversation is faked, it's less compelling, just like a show. It would have worked just as well, and appeared more genuine, if Johnathan was facing the camera and gave a normal lecture as he would do in front of a classroom (us). But I hope you will do more lectures and will certainly read your essays and website.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the feedback Keilnoth, will keep that in mind if we end up doing more of these!

  • @kcp94
    @kcp9422 күн бұрын

    Fantastic. Well done.

  • @dawnjones8476
    @dawnjones84764 ай бұрын

    Bro should give a lesson on oration. What a silky delivery. What a pleasure to learn from you

  • @AyushSharma-tv7xc
    @AyushSharma-tv7xc Жыл бұрын

    Highly underrated video

  • @LeadProduct
    @LeadProduct2 жыл бұрын

    Super impressive.

  • @donomar4815
    @donomar48152 жыл бұрын

    Is the fact of being inspired by this video a more subtle kind of mimesis??

  • @jyoung5256
    @jyoung5256 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent video

  • @Mr00000111
    @Mr000001112 жыл бұрын

    Exceptional way of delivering the information as well as fascinating content. Thank you Jonathan. When are the rest of the lectures are going to be uploaded?

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    They’ve already been filmed. In post now. We hope one every month for the rest of the year!

  • @sashamaxim
    @sashamaxim2 жыл бұрын

    The gestalt here is spot on. Good to see contemporary young people in the US addressing these ideas and not dressed in jeans and hoodies. Thank you. It sets the right tone. I'm afraid our culture is floundering in a pose of perpetual casualness and "whatups," while any serious discussion is shunted to the forgotten back rooms of what once was.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Sasha! Glad you like the aesthetic.

  • @DavidPerellChannel

    @DavidPerellChannel

    2 жыл бұрын

    Our thoughts exactly. Thanks for the kind words.

  • @sashamaxim

    @sashamaxim

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@DavidPerellChannel 100%. Your efforts are commendable.

  • @blackstatis0355
    @blackstatis0355 Жыл бұрын

    I can’t help but wonder if this series was a story about mimetics while using it as a conscious play of mimetics.

  • @arlesbarkly

    @arlesbarkly

    3 ай бұрын

    that’s what i’m saying!!!!

  • @alexandroskefalas4802
    @alexandroskefalas4802 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, what a great lecture. I appreciate the time you took to make this happen. You did not have to be that well dressed but you were, you did not have to be in such a nice environment, this could have been two guys talking on a couch while smoking, but you made it nice. A needed break from the attention-seeking paranoia and the quick 5 min. videos in the rest of youtube.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Alexandros. We wanted to create something that lasted and, thus, a classic aesthetic to match. Hope the rest of the series don't disappoint.

  • @sonasui6711
    @sonasui671113 күн бұрын

    I think I am in love with this content

  • @paulrumohr
    @paulrumohr10 ай бұрын

    This was fantastic. Thank you

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    10 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @Delta19G
    @Delta19G4 ай бұрын

    Thats quite the library of knowledge behind them!

  • @Caslin01
    @Caslin019 ай бұрын

    Great great stuff! Thanks.

  • @wadirkargar2249
    @wadirkargar22492 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, this is very good. Jonathan I read your pdf book from your website, and thought it very interesting. Was wondering if you plan on finishing it, since the end where more of your thoughts come in it seemed not fully fleshed out.

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for engaging with my work. And yes it’s still incomplete. I’m too busy with company building now to dedicate time to it but I hope to one day!

  • @bambam3310
    @bambam33102 жыл бұрын

    This just blew my mind…..

  • @horaciolyon
    @horaciolyon2 жыл бұрын

    this is real digital gold

  • @COFFEEWITHBUDDHA
    @COFFEEWITHBUDDHA Жыл бұрын

    Perfect!!! Thank You!!!

  • @francoisdupont3082
    @francoisdupont3082 Жыл бұрын

    Nice settings and selection of material! Rene Girard may be the most important philosopher of all time because he discovered the antidote to post-modern nihilism using their own methods. We must distribute the antidote.

  • @JAI_8

    @JAI_8

    Жыл бұрын

    It’s all just apologetics for quietism and a rationalization of the wealthy oligarchy and the status quo. Rene Girard is a bourgeois class traitor so frightened by conflict he saw as a boy by the Nazi-fascist-capitalist coalition and its violent opposition to the working class communists he chose instead to adopt a philosophy that just gave in to the fascist-capitalist threats from “above” and decry any opposition to them as as “envious” behavior” that could be solved with “proper” spiritual behavior and guidance. It’s traitorous surrender to the worst fascist tendencies that capitalism and the wealthy elite oligarchs hand out in exchange for a quiet job as a spineless “spiritual” guide. Girard came from a terrible time and place. It doesn’t mean we should adopt his “philosophy” today! Class consciousness isn’t “envy”! It’s just sensible; ultimately class consciousness is the source of all justice, both social and economic.

  • @user-lj8ep9yc4u
    @user-lj8ep9yc4u4 ай бұрын

    Nice work gentlemen

  • @jonathangroschel5841
    @jonathangroschel58412 жыл бұрын

    Would love some visuals with this. Maybe hire someone to animate some of the references.

  • @zeromick1
    @zeromick12 жыл бұрын

    Phenomenal.

  • @chysen
    @chysen Жыл бұрын

    This is dope, waiting on lecture II

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    Жыл бұрын

    thanks for engaging with our content Chysen, the rest of the lectures are coming in December

  • @vikasch
    @vikasch2 жыл бұрын

    Great lecture! Waiting for the next one! Do you have plans to upload it as a podcast? More accessible when I want to listen to some parts again

  • @bi.johnathan

    @bi.johnathan

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes! See my pinned comment^

  • @MykelGloober
    @MykelGloober3 ай бұрын

    This is so well spoken and presented that I wouldn't be surprised if you told me this was ai

  • @TLOGr8
    @TLOGr85 күн бұрын

    This guy’s videos on Carl Jung are going to go crazy