Introduction

Abstract

This section enquires into the relationship between mimetic theory and science, reviews some of the criticism addressed to mimetic theory, and ends with a reflection on self-criticism and its relation to science. First, it turns to the issue of the new atheism, which also presents itself as a scientific explanation of religion. The new atheism claims to be informed by recent results in evolutionary biology, psychology, and cognitive science, and it argues that religion is a cognitive mistake and a delusion. How does mimetic theory stand in relation to those claims? The section concludes with the issue of self-criticism, understood both at the individual level and at the level of the theory as a whole. There is a sense in which self-criticism can be seen to be at the heart of mimetic theory, which invites us to renounce the illusions of the sacred, to free ourselves of its misrecognition, and to reject the various forms of the romantic lie produced by mimetic desire.