Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 50

Modern Age

*

Winter 2018

social forms provide most of what we know, or think we know,
about primitive life. The late Stanford University and Académie
française philosopher René Girard has placed the observations
gleaned from these and other scientific investigations into a series
of books that explore the deep origins of humanity as reflected
in anthropology, ethnology, psychology, literature, and religion.
Girard starts with what is empirically different about human
beings, rather than with assumptions about man's nature. The
obvious comparison is with primates. Girard finds three distinctive human characteristics: the largest brain and longest period of
infant immaturity of any mammal, along with opposable thumbs
and firm-grasping fingers. The hand is immediately socially significant, in that it allows for holding and throwing rocks-where
at best other primates might clumsily hurl branches-thus making man the most fearsome predator in nature, a status only
enhanced by that big brain.
The human male's potential for violence is exacerbated by
vast reserves of adrenaline useful in hunting and war. Unfulfilled
desires for females (other primates, in contrast, often keep females
in common) or for goods can produce rage for dominance, which
invariably first turns inward among the family, rather than spinning outward, where it meets greater resistance. The idea of
"father" does not exist among other primates, which have only
dominant and subordinate males, the latter of whom typically
will not challenge the former even for food.
Further, humans seem to have a more aggressive desire than
apes for many more things, not just for sex and food but also
for clothing, tools, and even frivolities. Girard concludes that imitation, emotion, and desire are the primal drives. Humans learn
social mimicking right from the beginning by looking at their
50

modernagejournal.com



http://www.modernagejournal.com

Modern Age - Winter 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Modern Age - Winter 2018

Contents
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - Cover1
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - Cover2
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - Contents
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 2
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 3
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 4
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 5
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 6
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 7
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 8
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 9
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 10
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 11
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 12
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 13
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 14
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 15
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 16
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 17
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 18
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 19
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 20
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 21
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 22
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 23
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 24
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 25
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 26
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 27
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 28
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 29
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 30
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 31
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 32
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 33
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 34
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 35
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 36
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 37
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 38
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 39
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 40
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 41
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 42
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 43
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 44
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 45
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 46
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 47
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 48
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 49
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 50
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 51
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 52
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 53
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 54
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 55
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 56
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 57
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 58
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 59
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 60
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 61
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 62
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 63
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 64
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 65
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 66
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 67
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 68
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 69
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 70
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 71
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 72
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 73
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 74
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 75
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 76
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 77
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 78
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 79
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 80
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 81
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 82
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 83
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 84
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 85
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 86
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 87
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 88
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 89
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 90
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 91
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 92
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 93
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 94
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 95
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 96
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 97
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 98
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 99
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 100
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 101
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 102
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 103
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 104
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 105
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 106
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 107
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 108
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 109
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 110
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 111
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 112
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 113
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 114
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 115
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 116
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 117
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 118
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 119
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 120
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 121
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 122
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 123
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 124
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 125
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 126
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 127
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 128
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 129
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 130
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 131
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 132
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 133
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 134
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 135
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 136
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 137
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 138
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 139
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 140
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 141
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 142
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 143
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 144
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 145
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 146
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 147
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 148
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 149
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 150
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 151
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 152
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 153
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 154
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 155
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 156
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 157
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 158
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 159
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 160
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 161
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 162
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 163
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 164
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 165
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - 166
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - Cover3
Modern Age - Winter 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2018winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2017fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2017summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2017spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2017winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2016fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2016summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2016spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2016winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2015fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2014fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/isi/modernage_2014summer
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com