Selfhood and Sacrifice: René Girard and Charles Taylor on the Crisis of Modernity

Examines the core topics of identity, sacrifice and violence in the light of two very different perspectives: literary and cultural anthropology and academic philosophy.

Andrew O'Shea is Lecturer in Philosophy of Education and Human Development at St. Patrick's College, Dublin City University, Ireland.

Introduction Part 1. From Self to Sacrifice: Girardian Theory; I. Division and Unity in Literary Space (The Romantic Fallacy); II Division and Unity in Cultural Space (The Scapegoat Mechanism); III Negating Subjectivity and History: (Problems within Girardian Theory); Part 2. From Sacrifice to Self: Taylor's Philosophical Account; IV Transposing the Old Cosmic Order (The Modern Period); V Rethinking Division and Unity (Self, Religion, and the Current of Life);VI Crisis and Unity in Moral Space (Identity and the Good); Epilogue; Bibliography

"This original and important study contributes significantly to our understanding of the larger coherence underpinning the debates in contemporary philosophy and religion. The comparison of Taylor and Girard provides a new point of departure for defining a hermeneutics of the sacred" -- Richard Kearney, The Charles Seelig Professor in Philosophy, Boston College, MA, USA
"This is an informative and intelligent discussion of two significant contemporary thinkers, both of whom have offered provocative interpretations of modernity and the continued importance of religion in a culture that prides itself on its secular character. In a thoughtful and engaging way Andrew O'Shea moderates a conversation between these two thinkers. His moderation is fair-minded to both thinkers, even when he is critical, and even when finally he finds himself siding more with Taylor's affirmation of modernity. Among the excellences of his book is its focused explication of the interrelated themes of selfhood and sacrifice as they bear on the contested issue of the sacred." -- William Desmond, Professor in the Centre for Metaphysics and Modern Philosophy, The Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium