Political thinking before René Girard's work: a balance of an unfinished dialogue

Abstract

There is a profound error with respect to the explanation of the connections between René Girard’s thought and his relationship to the area of political reflection. It can clearly be seen that this author is not a political thinker. Undoubtedly, the embryo of an anthropology and a political theory can be found in Girard’s works. However, their exact developments are conspicuously absent. In Girard’s thought, there is truly a genuine political «promise»; but keeping this promise requires «going beyond Girard». In this paper, mimetic theory is entered into a dialogue with four important political thinkers interested in Girard’s thought: Dalmacio Negro, Pierre Manent, Philippe Nemo and Alain de Benoist. Thanks to discussions with the political realism school of thought, the mimetic paradigm can get the best credentials in order to enrich and renew political thought and research.