Genealogy of one of the most ancient and
influential concepts in western thought: Mimesis
Imitation is, perhaps more than ever, constitutive of human originality. Many things have changed since the emergence of an original species called Homo sapiens, but in the digital age humans remain mimetic creatures: from the development of consciousness to education, aesthetics to politics, mirror neurons to brain plasticity, digital simulations to emotional contagion, (new) fascist insurrections to viral contagion, we are unconsciously formed, deformed, and transformed by the all too human tendency to imitate—for both good and ill. Crossing disciplines as diverse as philosophy, aesthetics, and politics, Homo Mimeticus proposes a new theory of one of the most influential concepts in western thought (mimesis) to confront some of the hypermimetic challenges of the present and future.
Written in an accessible yet rigorous style, Homo Mimeticus appeals to both a specialized and general readership. It can be used in courses of modern and contemporary philosophy, aesthetics, political theory, literary criticism/theory, media studies, and new mimetic studies.
Ebook available in Open Access.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).
Watch the recording of the book launch: https://youtu.be/3fRhGvbv0Pg
Introduction: Drawing Mimetic Studies
PART 1 — GENEALOGIES: FOUNDATIONS Chapter 1: Birth of Homo Mimeticus Chapter 2: Vita Mimetica in the Cave Chapter 3: Sameness and Difference Replayed
PART 2 — AESTHETICS: CASE STUDIES Chapter 4: The Plasticity of Mimesis Chapter 5: On Animal and Human Mimicry Chapter 6: The Human Chameleon
PART 3 — POLITICS: MIMETIC RE-TURNS Chapter 7: Banality of Evil/Mimetic Complexity Chapter 8: Vibrant Mimesis Chapter 9: The Age of Viral Reproduction
Coda: The Complexity of Mimesis: A Dialogue with Edgar Morin
Notes Bibliography Index
Nidesh Lawtoo
Nidesh Lawtoo is a philosopher and cultural critic, professor of Modern European Literature and Culture at Leiden University.
This book will make an important contribution to the discussion of mimesis in the humanities and in the social sciences. It will find readers in many countries convincing new generations of the importance of mimetic processes for human development. - Christoph Wulf, Free University of Berlin
*Homo Mimeticus is a transdisciplinary study that includes findings from philosophy, psychology, the arts (especially dramatics), politics, and the natural sciences, particularly neuroscience. Its reference horizon ranges from Plato’s idealist criticism of mimesis to Nietzsche’s “gay science,” and Derrida’s deconstructive approach to Jane Bennett’s new materialism. Lawtoo goes far beyond the traditional version of mimesis as realist representation.* - Philipp Wolf, Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 48 no. 1, 2024, p. 178-190., https://dx.doi.org/10.2979/jml.00065
Lawtoo’s definition of a new transdisciplinary field called ‘mimetic studies’ is of crucial significance to comparative literature scholars and many others. - Mark Pizzato, MLN, Volume 140, Number 5, December 2025, pp. 1285-1289, https://doi.org/10.1353/mln.2025.a981051
Its ancient subject mimesis has attracted a great deal of attention within the past three decades. Yet what singles out this book is its attempt at writing a new and systematic theory of mimesis. - Philipp Wolf, Journal of Modern Literature, Volume 48, Number 1, Fall 2024, pp. 178-190, https://doi.org/10.2979/jml.00065
The book develops this concept through various manifestations. Most importantly, the warp and weft kind of relationship between them is traced through Nietzsche to late twentieth-century neuroscientific discovery of mirroring neurons. The range of associations and their conceptual brilliance indeed makes a series of fine beads tied by a brilliant silver thread. - Dhrubajyoti Sarkar, Nesir, no. 9, (2025): 507-510, https://doi.org/10.64957/nesir.1804884
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