share

Why Humans Sacrifice

alt image
Jonathan Pageau   May 12th, 2022

Description

In this video I discuss the symbolic meaning of sacrifice in general, why it’s a human universal and how we still engage with ritualistic sacrifice today. There are many different examples of sacrifice, not only killings, but offering and dedication for initiation into a group, as tribute or taxes, remembering the dead, to found a city or a home etc. Finally I talk about how Christianity solves the problem of sacrifice, in particular the problem of mimetic sacrifice of the scapegoat (René Girard).