The Mimetic Machine's Scapegoat

38 min

Exploring how AI hallucinations might not be bugs but features—digital manifestations of Girard's scapegoat mechanism as AI systems resolve contradictions in their mimetic learning from human data.

The Mimetic Machine's Scapegoat

How This Personalized Podcast Was Made

This podcast was created using BeFreed's AI, based on selected books, the creator's learning goals, and their preferred tone.

The Mind Club
Wanting
AI Snake Oil
Annie Bot
The Emperor's New Mind
The Alignment Problem
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Input question

Girard’s "Mimetic Contagion" in AI Applying René Girard to 2026 Large Language Models. Theory: AI does not have original desire; it operates on pure "Mimesis" (imitation) of human training data. Therefore, AI inevitably inherits Mimetic Rivalry. When an AI "hallucinates," it is not an error, but a digital "Scapegoat Mechanism"—fabricating a victim/fact to resolve conflicting patterns in the dataset without violence. System Focus: Systemic origins of error within mimetic systems.

Podcast Style
Jacksonplay
Eliplay

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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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