The Ambivalence of Scarcity and Other Essays Contributor(s): Dumouchel, Paul (Author) |
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ISBN: 1611861322 ISBN-13: 9781611861327 Publisher: Michigan State University Press OUR PRICE: $36.72 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2014 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Political Economy - Philosophy | Movements - Critical Theory - Social Science | Violence In Society |
Dewey: 146 |
Series: Studies in Violence, Mimesis, and Culture |
Physical Information: 2" H x 6.1" W x 9.1" (2.40 lbs) 388 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: First published in French in 1979, "The Ambivalence of Scarcity" was a groundbreaking work on mimetic theory. Now expanded upon with new, specially written, and never-before-published conference texts and essays, this revised edition explores Ren Girard's philosophy in three sections: economy and economics, mimetic theory, and violence and politics in modern societies. The first section argues that though mimetic theory is in many ways critical of modern economic theory, this criticism can contribute to the enrichment of economic thinking. The second section explores the issues of nonviolence and misrecognition (m connaissance), which have been at the center of many discussions of Girard's work. The final section proposes mimetic analyses of the violence typical of modern societies, from high school bullying to genocide and terrorist attacks. Politics, Dumouchel argues, is a violent means of protecting us from our own violent tendencies, and it can at times become the source of the very savagery from which it seeks to protect us. The book's conclusion analyzes the relationship between ethics and economics, opening new avenues of research and inviting further exploration. Dumouchel's introduction reflects on the importance of Ren Girard's work in relation to ongoing research, especially in social sciences and philosophy. |
Contributor Bio(s): Dumouchel, Paul: - Paul Dumouchel is Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. |