Rene Girard

René Noël Théophile Girard (1923–2015) was a French historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science. He is best known for developing mimetic theory, which posits that human desire is fundamentally imitative, leading to rivalry, violence, and the scapegoat mechanism. Throughout his career, he held academic appointments in the United States and authored nearly thirty books that influenced fields including anthropology, theology, psychology, and cultural studies.