Metaphysics and the Redemption of Sacrifice: On René Girard and Charles Williams

Abstract

Rene´Girard is something of a Janus for philosophers and theologians interested in the question of sacrifice. On the one hand, few thinkers in any century have made such a compelling case for the importance and centrality of sacrifice within all human culture. On the other hand, Girard has steadfastly insisted that sacrifice be understood in exclusively anthropological terms thus foreclosing the metaphysical and theological questions that prima facie seem to attend any robust consideration of sacrifice. In this essay, I seek to move beyond this Girardian impasse by supplementing Girard's latethought with a more robust metaphysics of sacrifice as found in the work of the novelist, literary critic, and theologian, Charles Williams (one of the Oxford 'Inklings' and a close companion of C.S. Lewis). To begin with, I first explain Girard's understanding of the mimetic mechanism and the sacrificial origins of human culture. I then consider a number of the criticisms with which he has been charged, especially the accusation of methodological reductionism. I explore the way that Girard's late work has responded to a number of these criticisms but argue that Girard's responses fail to diffuse the charges. By way of conclusion, I suggest that Girard's insights can be saved when supplemented with the kind of relational metaphysics found in Williams' most perfectly realized novel, Descent into Hell. Rather than dispensing with ontology in favour of praxis, Williams transforms the profoundly Girardian themes of mediated desire, the doppelganger, mimetic rivalry, ritual, and the function of sacrifice by placing them in the context of what he calls the metaphysics of 'co-inherence.' This allows Williams to provide a far more positive account of both mimesis and sacrifice (even in its substitutionary mode) than Girard, not just non-retaliation but the actual bearing of one another's deepest burdens in communion, prayer, and love.

Desire and the Origins of Culture: Lonergan and Girard in Conversation

“…Theogony and the genesis of culture.' 27 The crisis engendered through mimetic doubling and rivalry threatens to destroy of the society and is resolved through a focussing of violence on a single victim, the scapegoat. The sacrifice of the scapegoat restores social harmony, transforming the victim into a 'divine' source of social healing and reconciliation.…”

Sacrifice and violence in the marketplace

“…And yet, the singularisation and scapegoating of specific causes through corporate-backed PR campaigns – such as the destruction of orangutang environments through the cropping and harvesting of palm oil, channel the attention and enable consumers to achieve a sense of guilt relief about the impact of their consumption on the environments of orangutangs yet continue the excesses of modern consumption life. It is important to also note, however, that sacrificial violence can also have positive outcomes – such as the sense of community cohesion and harmony (though temporary) that can result from the ‘collective sacrifice of others’ (Sherman 2010: 51).…”

“…Though his initial academic grounding was in medieval history, once immigrating to the US in the late 1940s, Girard’s intellectual concerns expanded considerably to literary criticism, anthropology, psychology, mythology and theology (Kirwan, 2005). Girard retired from Stanford University in 1995 and in 2005 was elected to the Académie française – the highest honour in French scholarship (Sherman, 2010), illustrating the influence of René Girard’s scholarship across many disciplines.…”

“…This critical re-examination of market and consumer studies reveals the dual nature of sacrifice – ‘the self-sacrifice for others and the collective sacrifice of others’ (Sherman 2010: 51). Thus, augmenting the light with the dark.…”