Verbatim quote · from the corpus

“Any number of things can therefore be at the center: a desirable consumer object; a position of power, a particular kind of “spotlight.” Being repelled from appropriating the object involves the kinds of laws, norms, and rituals constitutive of a given community, all aiming at providing the appearance that the center has granted itself to whomever might acquire it: one cannot become king without an elaborate array of ceremonies, because it cannot appear as if that sacred office is seized; property laws, laws of inheritance, zoning laws, graduation ceremonies, documents affirming one’s right, and so on all ensure that desire for appropriation has been deferred and conferred in accord with the traditions and authorities of the community. The originary form of human interaction and engagement with the center is ritual. Again, there are, obviously, innumerable ritual forms throughout the history of humanity (and yet there are always rituals). But, for originary thinking, there is a simple, irrefutable and extraordinarily useful definition of ritual: a repetition and commemoration of the originary event itself. That there are lots of different ritual orders testifies to the various ways the originary event or, indeed, any event, can be remembered and re-enacted—in these differences we find the accretion of the specific events shaping individualized communities, which in turn testifies to the myriad ways mimetic crisis can erupt.”

— Adam Katz, The Transdisciplinarity of the Hypothesis · Jul 03, 2021 · Bouvard Substack