Girard and Anselm: Ontological Argument and Mimetic Theory

It may seem strange to connect the ontological argument for God‟s existence with René Girard‟s thought. My first aim is to clarify this connection. In order to do so, we must first suggest three distinct hermeneutical approaches to Girard. If we take an internal, literal approach, we find that Girard writes nothing about the ontological proof. Nevertheless, he does cite Anselm. If we take an internal, non-literal approach to Girard, we can try to deduce what he might have thought about the ontological proof on the basis of his mimetic theory, thereby extending his thought while remaining within his theory. If we take a critical approach, we can interpret Girard from an external perspective and critically analyze analogies between the ontological proof and his mimetic theory on the assumption that there is no a priori reason why there cannot be a relationship between an argument and a thinker, even without that thinker's awareness and in spite of his intentions.