John Ganz

So I think that Girard's philosophy is an entry point for people who's

viewpoint on the world is fundamentally not one of faith it's one of reason and this seems to be a rational picture of the world and how it works and why people are competitive what gerard is right about is that being involved in these social competitions and desiring what others want and being in these mimetic basically love triangles is extremely painful and it's very difficult to feel like you've accomplished you know very much because there's always this

endless regress of, Oh, this person has something I want.

So the appeal of religion then is it seems that Gerard said, well, you know, instead of imitating others, imitate Christ.

And, you know, he was the only person not infected by this.

And yeah, I can understand, you know, the pains of living in a competitive society.

One would want to escape that and take a more contemplative stance towards it.

It seems to me that,

that these fellows have a very utilitarian, almost cynical relationship to religion that is not one of deep feeling.

I don't know.

I've not read the book, but does he describe being in the presence of God?

Or is it like Augustine's Confessions where he has this realization that his former life was deeply sinful?

I'm very sorry to have learned that because it's a totally repulsive prospect.

And I will never forget that.

I didn't know that.

But it doesn't surprise me.

I mean, like, you know, the professions of conservatives, the moral rectitude, everyone knows that's a hypocrisy.

Everyone knows they're just like everybody else.

Yes.

Okay.