What is acquisitive mimesis?
In his book Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World, Girard explains that it is acquisitive mimesis that leads us into rivalry. Acquisitive mimesis is the desire to “aquire” the object another person has. Girard states that the cause of conflict is “provoked by an object” and that “acquisitive mimesis . . . must always be our point of departure” (Things, 18). Acquisitive mimesis quickly leads to conflict. When we get to this point, we no longer seek to acquire object, but we seek to acquire the essence of the other person, which can only be done by displacing the other person.
