Johnathan Bi

Insights from the Great Books•www.johnathanbi.com

Society & Culture

Education

Lectures & Interviews on the Great Books

www.johnathanbi.com

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Episodes

Reject Free Will, Become Who You Are | Brian Leiter on Nietzsche

An interview with Professor Brian Leiter on Nietzsche's critique of free will. Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com For the full video and transcript, visit: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-for-brian-leiter-interview?r=l66v&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe...

Jun 08, 2024•55 min

Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality: Masters vs. Slaves

An introductory lecture to Friedrich Nietzsche’s On The Genealogy of Morality. Subscribe to my newsletter if you want content updates, invitations to events, and to support my work: johnathanbi.com For the transcript & other links, visit: https://open.substack.com/pub/johnathanbi/p/transcript-for-nietzsches-genealogy Get full access to Johnathan Bi at www.johnathanbi.com/subscribe...

Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 36 min

Lecture VII: The One Who Withholds | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

Christianity exposed the injustice of scapegoating and, in doing so, robbed us of the cathartic tools which early human societies used to contain and resolve violence. Today, the Katechon which prevents violence from overflowing is three institutions that limit and channel violence: Law, Capitalism, and War. By tracing a genealogy for all three institutions, Girard comes to the terrifying conclusion that these final bulwarks against apocalypse are on the verge of collapse. More precisely, their ...

Dec 31, 2022•1 hr 37 min

Lecture VI: The Triumph of Modernity | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

Rescued by Christianity, modernity is distinctly different than the violent, deceitful, and stagnant societies of yore. We are the most loving, truthful, and innovative culture ever to exist. Resting uneasily alongside this fundamental affirmation of modernity, however, is Girard’s puzzling insistence that things have barely changed at all: we now simply persecute victims under the banner of love, rigidly adhere to scientific dogmas under the guise of free inquiry, and package trivialities as ra...

Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 26 min

Lecture V: The Christian Revelation | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

For Girard, Christianity is radically different from all other religions in one crucial aspect: it takes the side of the innocent victim and, in doing so, exposes the violence and deceit of worldly order. We will explore how this intuition of innocence begins to take root in the Hebrew bible and blossoms into a resounding declaration in the Crucifixion. Girard presents us with an anthropology of the Cross: a translation of Christian phenomena into this-worldly, humanistic language. Girard’s succ...

Dec 24, 2022•1 hr 7 min

Lecture IV: The Scapegoat Mechanism | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

Starting from lecture IV, we will move away from psychology and into Girard’s history, beginning with the very first human societies. In times of internal turmoil, these early societies would converge on an innocent victim, attribute to him all the blame, murder this scapegoat in a brutal killing, and achieve peace through violent catharsis. These founding murders gave rise to institutions, cultures, and even gods themselves. Far are we from the comfort of social contracts. Girard’s unsettling c...

Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 20 min

Lecture III: Mimetic Rivalry and Girard's Theodicy | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

In this lecture, we will finish painting the picture of Girardian psychology by understanding mimetic rivalry and negative mimesis. This picture will expose humans as fallen and certain psycho-social pathologies as inevitable: fetishization, alienation, bipolarity, masochism, oppression, and inequity. Girard’s psychology, then, is also a theodicy — an inquiry into the origins of evil. For Girard, evil is not contingent on poorly designed societies but an inevitable consequence of corrupt human n...

Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 28 min

Lecture II: Mimetic Desire and Original Sin | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

Johnathan Bi delves into René Girard's mimetic theory, examining mimesis, mimetic desire, and particularly "metaphysical desire" – the desire to be rather than simply experience. He explains how this deep-seated craving for identity, permanence, and self-sufficiency, often fueled by external models and pride, drives human behavior but ultimately leads to an unachievable ideal and existential disappointment. The lecture culminates in Girard's provocative claim that metaphysical desire is synonymous with original sin, forming a pessimistic yet profound view of human motivation.

Dec 10, 2022•1 hr 10 min

Lecture I: Introduction to Mimetic Theory | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

This lecture introduces René Girard's Mimetic Theory, exploring how personal struggles with mimetic desire led the lecturer to Girard's work. It explains key concepts like mimetic desire, the scapegoat mechanism, and the foundational role of violence in society, contrasting pagan myths with Christianity's unique victim-centered perspective. The episode also outlines the four forces unleashed by Christianity on history—love, truth, innovation, and violence—and how they shape modernity, culminating in an ambivalent view of our impending apocalyptic future and Girard's call to withdraw.

May 25, 2022•1 hr 43 min

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