Be not Conformed: René Girard at the Nexus of Athens, Jerusalem, and Silicon Valley

René Girard was one of the most influential interdisciplinary thinkers of the 20th century.His mimetic theory-which argues that human desire is fundamentally imitative and that rivalry and conflict arise from this imitation-cuts across philosophy, anthropology, history, literary criticism, theology, and more.To manage the destructive potential of mimetic rivalry, societies resort to violence, often in the form of what he called the scapegoat mechanism.The implications of his theory for today’s world are profound. This volume brings together essays that place Girard in conversation with other major thinkers, including Dietrich von Hildebrand, Luigi Giussani, and Marshall McLuhan, while exploring his insights on technology, education, and race.Though Girard spent most of his career as a professor at Stanford, his influence extends beyond academia.His thought has shaped Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, who recognized the impact of mimetic dynamics on innovation, competition, and value creati