How do humans stop fighting? Where do the gods of myth come from? What does it mean to go mad? Mark R. Anspach tackles these and other conundrums as he draws on ethnography, literature, psychotherapy, and the theory of René Girard to explore some of the fundamental mechanisms of human interaction. Likening gift exchange to vengeance in reverse, the first part of the book outlines a fresh approach to reciprocity, while the second part traces the emergence of transcendence in collective myths and individual delusions. From the peacemaking rituals of prestate societies to the paradoxical structure of consciousness, Anspach takes the reader on an intellectual journey that begins with the problem of how to deceive violence and ends with the riddle of how one can deceive oneself.
ContentsPrefacePart 1. Changing ReciprocitiesChapter 1. Beginning with the Return, or Vengeance in ReverseChapter 2. Violence DeceivedChapter 3. Trying to Stop the Trojan WarPart 2. Self-TranscendenceChapter 4. Return to the Beginning, or the Making of a MetagodChapter 5. Madness in the MakingChapter 6. No Exit? Madness and the Divided SelfNotesBibliographyIndex
