Mimetic desire

At a basic level, we want what others want. In a world that experiences scarcity, we simply cannot have all the things we want, as the interest of others both increases our desire and increased the conflict over that scarcity. Naturally, this creates an adversarial setting, with the adversarial relationship itself leading to greater and greater conflict as parties at odds with each other mirror hostility. Without a means of resolving this, such conflicts naturally proceed to violence. To prevent violence and social breakdown, individuals face incentive to adopt and share symbolic systems that minimize violence and lead to cooperation and externalization of the energies created by conflict.
Category:Social