• Anthropological Theory: Philosopher René Girard argued that human societies naturally generate internal rivalries and mimetic desire (competing for the same things).
• Resolving Conflict: To prevent self-destruction from internal feuds, the community spontaneously unites in an unconscious act of violence against a single, vulnerable individual.
• Foundation of Religion and Culture: Girard proposed that killing or expelling the scapegoat temporarily relieves social tension, and the group sanctifies the memory of the victim, turning the event into myth, ritual, and early social order.
