Desiring Machines
Mimetic Theory and Artificial Intelligence in Technology, Philosophy, Film, and Fiction
Will be published approx. on 11. December 2025
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-350-38273-2 (ISBN)
Description
As artificial intelligence assumes increasing prominence in our lives, a host of questions arise, particularly if one holds a view of humans as inherently social or mimetic, such as Rene Girard. Does the potential for self-awareness in artificial intelligence come with mimetic desire in the way Girard claims it does for human beings?
Thomas Ryba and Sandor Goodhart bring together a team of renowned scholars to theorize artificial intelligence from a Girardian perspective for the first time. Chapters present cutting edge reflections on Girard's mimetic theory in connection with science, humans, fiction, film, philosophy and God, shedding light on artificial intelligence and the consequences of the implementation of humanoid robots into daily life. In Part I, each argument is followed by a response, spanning topics from the philosophic foundations of mimetic theory and cognitive science through to scapegoating, mimesis, and the human future. Drawing on close interpretative readings of films, including A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Ex Machina and HER, as well as literary productions, philosophic essays and theological concepts, it offers a novel approach to utilize the seminal ideas of Girard.
Setting out new challenges and insights, this interdisciplinary volume is an essential starting point for students and scholars of Girard, mimetic theory, artificial intelligence, robotics, film, philosophy of religion and ethics.
Thomas Ryba and Sandor Goodhart bring together a team of renowned scholars to theorize artificial intelligence from a Girardian perspective for the first time. Chapters present cutting edge reflections on Girard's mimetic theory in connection with science, humans, fiction, film, philosophy and God, shedding light on artificial intelligence and the consequences of the implementation of humanoid robots into daily life. In Part I, each argument is followed by a response, spanning topics from the philosophic foundations of mimetic theory and cognitive science through to scapegoating, mimesis, and the human future. Drawing on close interpretative readings of films, including A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Ex Machina and HER, as well as literary productions, philosophic essays and theological concepts, it offers a novel approach to utilize the seminal ideas of Girard.
Setting out new challenges and insights, this interdisciplinary volume is an essential starting point for students and scholars of Girard, mimetic theory, artificial intelligence, robotics, film, philosophy of religion and ethics.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
10 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
787 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-38273-2 (9781350382732)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Sandor Goodhart is Professor of English and Jewish Studies and former Director of the Religious Studies Program at Purdue University, USA. He is the former President of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion.
Thomas Ryba is Director of Religious Studies at Purdue University, USA. He is the former Notre Dame Theologian in Residence at the St. Thomas Aquinas Center and Continuing Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Purdue University.
Thomas Ryba is Director of Religious Studies at Purdue University, USA. He is the former Notre Dame Theologian in Residence at the St. Thomas Aquinas Center and Continuing Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Purdue University.
Content
Introduction
An Introduction to this Volume, Sandor Goodhart and Thomas Ryba (both Purdue University, USA)
AI, Rene Girard, and Philosophic Anthropology, Sorin Adam Matei (Purdue University, USA)
Reflections on Rene Girard and AI, Martha Girard (USA)
Part I: Thinking Through Rene Girard and AI
1. The Philosophic Foundations of Mimetic Theory and Cognitive Science (Including Artificial Intelligence), Jean-Pierre Dupuy (Polytechnic University Paris, France)
2. A Response to Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Andrew McKenna (Loyola University, USA)
3. Mimetic Theory and AI, Lefteri Tsoukalas (Purdue University, USA)
4. A Response to Lefteri Tsoukalas, Mark Anspach (Imitatio, Inc.)
5. Desiring Machines: Machines That Are Desired and Machines That Desire, Paul Dumouchel (University of Quebec, Canada)
6. A Response to Paul Dumouchel, William Johnsen (Michigan State University, USA)
7. Autonomous Robots: The Model / Rival of the Unhuman, Pablo Bandera (Honeybee Robotics)
8. A Response to Pablo Bandera, Jeremiah Alberg (International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan)
9. Taming the Desire of Sentient Machines with the Golden Rule, Sorin Adam Matei (Purdue University, USA)
10. A Response to Sorin Adam Matei, Rebecca Gibson (Indiana University, USA)
11. The Desire to Be like God: Addressing Temptations Coming Along with AI, Wolfgang Palaver (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
12. A Response to Wolfgang Palaver, Martha Reineke (University of Northern Iowa, USA)
13. The Destinies of Desire and Versions of the Virtual: Structures, Machines, and Desiring Machines, Arkady Plotnitsky (Purdue University, USA)
14. A Response to Arkady Plotnitsky, Nidesh Lawtoo (KU Leuven, Belgium)
15. Biological, Anthropological, and Algorithmic Mimesis, Eric Gans (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
16. A Response to Eric Gans, Chris Fleming (University of Western Sydney, Australia)
17. Scapegoating, Mimesis, and the Human Future: Thinking with Rene Girard and Bernard Stiegler on the Automation of Desire, Johann Rossouw (University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa)
18. A Response to Johann Rossouw, Joachim Duyndam (University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Part II: Rene Girard and AI in Detail
Rene Girard, Science, and AI
19. Girard Does Not Compute: A Girardian Criticism of AI, Dominic Pigneri (Catholic University of America, USA)
20. The AI Programmability of Mimetic Theory, Georgios Stathis (Leiden University, the Netherlands)
21. 'Dialogue' Robots and Machine 'Learning': The Mimetic Trap of Wishful Thinking, Thomas and Miriam Stuke (University of Basel, Switzerland)
22. Posthuman Mimesis: Unconscious Violence in Hypermimetic Games, Nidesh Lawtoo (KU Leuven, Belgium)
Rene Girard, the Human, and AI
23. Awkward AI: Minor Resentments and Vertical Transcendence in Human-Robot Interactions, Benjamin Barber (United International College: Hong Kong Baptist-Beijing Normal University, China)
24. "Mimetic Theory, AI, and Police Systems", Carlos Mora Benavides (Pontifical Javeriana University Portal, Colombia)
25. Nature and Artifice: Pressing (the) Disanalogies between Human Action and Robot Activity, Grant Poettcker (Briercrest College and Seminary, Canada)
26. Robot Love: AI and the Future of Human Intimacy, Martha Reineke (University of Northern Iowa, USA)
Rene Girard, Fiction, Film, and AI
27. Robots, AI, & Me. Some Considerations on AI and Robots as New Myths Telling Very Old Stories, David Garcia-Ramos (Catholic University of Valencia, Spain)
28. Artificial Intelligence and Literary Intelligence, Curtis Gruenler (Hope College, USA)
29. Desiring Machines and Doubles in Contemporary Fiction and Film, Matthew Packer (Buena Vista University, USA)
30. Artificial Intelligence and Mimetic Bondage in Spike Jonze's Her, Susan Wright (Theology and Peace)
Rene Girard, Philosophy, and AI
31. The Mimetic Horizons of Time and Desire: A Phenomenological and SCI-FI Approach, Tania Checchi (College of Knowledge, Mexico)
32. Nonviolent Cognition of God with Artificial Intelligence in Computational Metaphysics, Christopher Morrissey (Trinity Western University, Canada)
33. Polarization as a Non-deterministic Mechanism, William Johnsen (Michigan State University, USA)
34. Social Robots and Social Virtues: Robots as Artificial Friends and Significant Others, George Dunn (Zhejiang University, China)
Rene Girard, God, and AI
35. A.I.: Apocalyptic Intelligence, Anthony Bartlett (Bethany Center for Nonviolent Theology and Spirituality, USA)
36. When Men Become Gods, Who is the Winner? Viewing Blade Runner, John Babak Ebrahimian (Independent Scholar and Filmmaker, USA)
37. AI, Idolatry, and Divination in Antiquity and Today, Thomas Ryba (Purdue University, USA)
38. Desires and Responsibilities Between Creator and Created, Nikolaus Wandinger (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
Afterword
39. Reflections on Rene Girard and Artificial Intelligence, Scott Cowdell (Charles Sturt University, Australia)
Notes
Works Cited
Index
An Introduction to this Volume, Sandor Goodhart and Thomas Ryba (both Purdue University, USA)
AI, Rene Girard, and Philosophic Anthropology, Sorin Adam Matei (Purdue University, USA)
Reflections on Rene Girard and AI, Martha Girard (USA)
Part I: Thinking Through Rene Girard and AI
1. The Philosophic Foundations of Mimetic Theory and Cognitive Science (Including Artificial Intelligence), Jean-Pierre Dupuy (Polytechnic University Paris, France)
2. A Response to Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Andrew McKenna (Loyola University, USA)
3. Mimetic Theory and AI, Lefteri Tsoukalas (Purdue University, USA)
4. A Response to Lefteri Tsoukalas, Mark Anspach (Imitatio, Inc.)
5. Desiring Machines: Machines That Are Desired and Machines That Desire, Paul Dumouchel (University of Quebec, Canada)
6. A Response to Paul Dumouchel, William Johnsen (Michigan State University, USA)
7. Autonomous Robots: The Model / Rival of the Unhuman, Pablo Bandera (Honeybee Robotics)
8. A Response to Pablo Bandera, Jeremiah Alberg (International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan)
9. Taming the Desire of Sentient Machines with the Golden Rule, Sorin Adam Matei (Purdue University, USA)
10. A Response to Sorin Adam Matei, Rebecca Gibson (Indiana University, USA)
11. The Desire to Be like God: Addressing Temptations Coming Along with AI, Wolfgang Palaver (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
12. A Response to Wolfgang Palaver, Martha Reineke (University of Northern Iowa, USA)
13. The Destinies of Desire and Versions of the Virtual: Structures, Machines, and Desiring Machines, Arkady Plotnitsky (Purdue University, USA)
14. A Response to Arkady Plotnitsky, Nidesh Lawtoo (KU Leuven, Belgium)
15. Biological, Anthropological, and Algorithmic Mimesis, Eric Gans (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
16. A Response to Eric Gans, Chris Fleming (University of Western Sydney, Australia)
17. Scapegoating, Mimesis, and the Human Future: Thinking with Rene Girard and Bernard Stiegler on the Automation of Desire, Johann Rossouw (University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa)
18. A Response to Johann Rossouw, Joachim Duyndam (University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Part II: Rene Girard and AI in Detail
Rene Girard, Science, and AI
19. Girard Does Not Compute: A Girardian Criticism of AI, Dominic Pigneri (Catholic University of America, USA)
20. The AI Programmability of Mimetic Theory, Georgios Stathis (Leiden University, the Netherlands)
21. 'Dialogue' Robots and Machine 'Learning': The Mimetic Trap of Wishful Thinking, Thomas and Miriam Stuke (University of Basel, Switzerland)
22. Posthuman Mimesis: Unconscious Violence in Hypermimetic Games, Nidesh Lawtoo (KU Leuven, Belgium)
Rene Girard, the Human, and AI
23. Awkward AI: Minor Resentments and Vertical Transcendence in Human-Robot Interactions, Benjamin Barber (United International College: Hong Kong Baptist-Beijing Normal University, China)
24. "Mimetic Theory, AI, and Police Systems", Carlos Mora Benavides (Pontifical Javeriana University Portal, Colombia)
25. Nature and Artifice: Pressing (the) Disanalogies between Human Action and Robot Activity, Grant Poettcker (Briercrest College and Seminary, Canada)
26. Robot Love: AI and the Future of Human Intimacy, Martha Reineke (University of Northern Iowa, USA)
Rene Girard, Fiction, Film, and AI
27. Robots, AI, & Me. Some Considerations on AI and Robots as New Myths Telling Very Old Stories, David Garcia-Ramos (Catholic University of Valencia, Spain)
28. Artificial Intelligence and Literary Intelligence, Curtis Gruenler (Hope College, USA)
29. Desiring Machines and Doubles in Contemporary Fiction and Film, Matthew Packer (Buena Vista University, USA)
30. Artificial Intelligence and Mimetic Bondage in Spike Jonze's Her, Susan Wright (Theology and Peace)
Rene Girard, Philosophy, and AI
31. The Mimetic Horizons of Time and Desire: A Phenomenological and SCI-FI Approach, Tania Checchi (College of Knowledge, Mexico)
32. Nonviolent Cognition of God with Artificial Intelligence in Computational Metaphysics, Christopher Morrissey (Trinity Western University, Canada)
33. Polarization as a Non-deterministic Mechanism, William Johnsen (Michigan State University, USA)
34. Social Robots and Social Virtues: Robots as Artificial Friends and Significant Others, George Dunn (Zhejiang University, China)
Rene Girard, God, and AI
35. A.I.: Apocalyptic Intelligence, Anthony Bartlett (Bethany Center for Nonviolent Theology and Spirituality, USA)
36. When Men Become Gods, Who is the Winner? Viewing Blade Runner, John Babak Ebrahimian (Independent Scholar and Filmmaker, USA)
37. AI, Idolatry, and Divination in Antiquity and Today, Thomas Ryba (Purdue University, USA)
38. Desires and Responsibilities Between Creator and Created, Nikolaus Wandinger (University of Innsbruck, Austria)
Afterword
39. Reflections on Rene Girard and Artificial Intelligence, Scott Cowdell (Charles Sturt University, Australia)
Notes
Works Cited
Index