The Invention of Blame (Scapegoat Mechanism)

2017-06-13

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What is blame? What happens when you assign responsibility to someone else, or to a group of people, and use that to inform how you treat them? What does scapegoating accomplish, and what is the root cause of tribalism?

Kevin examines philosopher René Girard’s Mimetic Desire and Scapegoat Mechanism concepts to unearth the very core of human behavior and how we function as a society. It all starts with babies imitating adults immediately out of the womb, and it ends with burning disco albums at a baseball game. Somehow that bizarre human journey all makes sense -- and you’ll know more about yourself and the world around you.

**** LINKS AND SOURCES ****

BOOKS

The Scapegoat by René Girard on Amazon

http://geni.us/TheScapegoat

Evolution and Conversion: Dialogues on the Origins of Culture by René Girard on Amazon

http://geni.us/EvolutionAndConversion

René Girard and Myth by Richard Golsan on Amazon

http://geni.us/ReneGirardandMyth

Mimesis and Science: Empirical Research on Imitation and the Mimetic Theory of Culture and Religion by Scott R. Garrels on Amazon

http://geni.us/MimesisAndScience

Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict on Amazon

http://geni.us/PatternsOfCulture

RESOURCES

René Girard

http://www.iep.utm.edu/girard/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNkSBy5wWDk

https://vimeo.com/123072513

http://180rule.com/rene-girards-mimetic-theory-the-scapegoat/

https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=29620

Waiting For The Barbarians by C. P. Cavafy

http://www.cavafy.com/poems/content.asp?id=119&cat=1

RESEARCH

Orgins Of The Modern Mind: Three Stages In The Evolution Of Culture And Cognition by Merlin Donald

http://cognitrn.psych.indiana.edu/busey/q551/PDFs/DonaldEvolution.pdf

Born To Learn: What Infants Learn From Watching Us by Andrew Meltzoff

http://ilabs.washington.edu/meltzoff/pdf/99Meltzoff_BornToLearn.pdf

Imitation Of Facial And Manual Gestures by Human Neonates by Andrew Meltzoff and M. Keith Moore

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/198/4312/75

ASSET CREDITS

René Girard Interview by Rev Dr Steven E Berry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWsU5rXDFVc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN9-PFCJMQQ

CARTA: Is the Human Mind Unique? -- Merlin Donald: Skilled Performance and Artistry by UCTV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EOKOKp2QlM

Dodson’s Hollywood Monkey Stars by Chevrolet News Newsreel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-z1b0JZxgc

Maltese Dog Dancing And Eating An Orange by Gerardo Camba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgX_Ur6T3g8

Experiments with chimpanzees, works of N. Ladygina-Kohts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8imskoHgAb0

YOUTUBERS

Ethan - h3h3Productions

https://www.youtube.com/user/h3h3Productions

Destin - Smarter Every Day

https://www.youtube.com/user/destinws2

Lex - MadeYewLook

https://www.youtube.com/user/MadeYewLook

Austin Evans

https://www.youtube.com/user/duncan33303

Mary Doodles

https://www.youtube.com/user/marydoodles

Dianna - Physics Girl

https://www.youtube.com/user/physicswoman

Derek - Veritasium

https://www.youtube.com/user/1veritasium

Jake - Vsauce3

https://www.youtube.com/user/Vsauce3

Michael - Vsauce1

https://www.youtube.com/user/Vsauce

VSAUCE CREDITS

Written, Produced, Edited and Hosted by Kevin Lieber

Instagram: http://instagram.com/kevlieber

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinlieber

Website: http://kevinlieber.com

Contributing Researcher & Editor Matthew Tabor, Koala Fight Media

http://koala.fm/

VFX by Eric Langlay

https://www.youtube.com/c/ericlanglay

Sound Design by Jay Pellizzi

http://jaypellizzi.com/

Select Music by Jake Chudnow

https://www.youtube.com/user/jakechudnow

Special Thanks Paula Lieber

https://twitter.com/pixichuu

Special Thanks Andrew Meltzoff, Ph.D.

http://ilabs.uw.edu/institute-faculty/bio/i-labs-andrew-n-meltzoff-phd

Special Thanks Dr. Richard J. Golsan

http://glasscock.tamu.edu/about-us/glasscock-center-staff/richard-j-golsan-director/

Vsauce2 Links

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VsauceTwo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VsauceTwo

Website: http://www.Vsauce.com

Curiosity Box: https://www.curiositybox.com/

My Father's Guitars - Lieber Guitars

http://lieberguitars.com/