Dimes and Judas discuss René Girard’s “I See Satan Fall Like Lightning,” where they dissect the concept of a mimetic crisis and explore the ancient engine of sacrifice driving human institutions.

Timestamps:

02:26 – The Ritualization of the Scapegoat Mechanism

06:13 – Defining Mimetic Desire

09:57 – The Case of Peter and the Madness of Crowds

12:14 – Satan as the Manifestation of Mimetic Contagion

17:21 – Problems with the Scapegoat Model Lionizing All Victims of Collective Violence

19:35 – Mimetic Crisis as the Foundation of Ancient Mythology

23:18 – The Crucifixion vs. The Perpetuation of the Sacrifice in Institutions