French theorist Ren Girard was one of the major thinkers of the twentieth century. Read by international leaders, quoted by the French media, Girard influenced such writers as J.M. Coetzee and Milan Kundera. Dubbed "the new Darwin of the human sciences" and "the most compelling Catholic thinker of the age", Girard spent nearly four decades at Stanford exploring what it means to be human and making major contributions to philosophy, literary criticism, psychology and theology with his mimetic theory.
This is the first collection of interviews with Girard, one that brings together discussions on Cervantes, Dostoevsky, and Proust alongside the causes of conflict and violence and the role of imitation in human behavior. Granting important insights into Girard's life and thought, these provocative and lively conversations underline Girard's place as leading public intellectual and profound theorist.
Industry Reviews
A vital book. It gave me Rene Girard as I've never before encountered him in a text: like looking at a diamond from eighteen different sides. Each interview reveals the fecundity of his thought and the brilliance of a mind that was able to probe the human condition in a singular way. It's full of fire. * Luke Burgis, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship, The Catholic University of America, USA and Author of Wanting: Our Secret Economy of Desire *
Rene Girard was one of the most influential and important thinkers of the 20th century, much of his wisdom was dialogic in nature, and this volume brings together an excellent collection of conversations with him. * Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University, USA and Author of the "Marginal Revolution" Blog *
Covering the full scope of his thinking, from his reflections on desire and rivalry, right through to his final thoughts about modern warfare this really is a singularly valuable collection. * Chris Fleming, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Western Sydney University, Australia and Author of On Drugs *
Conversations with Rene Girard is sure to become an indispensable reference for readers interested in Girard's views on a wide range of topics, including such hot button issues as abortion, eugenics, same-sex marriage, anorexia, Islam, and Europe's demographic crisis. Cynthia Haven deserves tremendous credit for bringing these interviews, some of them hard to find, together in one volume. * George A. Dunn, Centre for Globalizing Civilization, Hangzhou, China *
This collection of interviews with the great French theorist Rene Girard offers an excellent presentation of his theories on mimetic desire, scapegoating and sacrificial violence, and the power of Biblical revelation. It covers Girard's remarkable explorations of everything from archaic cultures, to the great works of Western literature, to the crises of the contemporary world. An important book for scholars and the general public alike. * Richard J. Golsan, University Distinguished Professor and Senior Scowcroft Fellow, Texas A&M University, USA *
