published in 'Colloquy: Text Theory Critique' 9 (2005)

The thought of René Girard has been object of much interest in the last few years, both in the 'Continental' and in the 'English-speaking' philosophical areas. Nevertheless, Girard's thought is not always accepted in the academic circles. The main cause for this is that his theory is considered too 'philosophical' in the Human Sciences Departments, and it
seems too close to cultural anthropology and literary criticism to be appreciated by philosophers. This is the reason why it could be fruitful to focus the attention on the philosophical aspects - I am tempted to say 'on the
central philosophical nucleusì - of René Girard's way of thinking.
I clarify what is meant exactly by 'philosophy' within the mimetic theory of René Girard and I define the borders of the
problem of the 'death of philosophy,' as it appears from Girard's work. Then, I focus on hermeneutic philosophy and its relationship with the mimetic theory. Finally, I will try to answer a question which I consider absolutely central: is it still possible to speak of 'philosophy' within the Girardian universe?