Violence is often considered through its causes or effects, but seldom by its source. As to that, opinion is also divided. Some say that human culture is the source of violence and that love and peace can only come from ‘outside’; others claim that precisely this ‘outside’ is the source of violence and that love can only blossom in a society that cancels all arbitrary reference to any ‘outside’. These positions are articulated by, respectively, René Girard and Gianni Vattimo. This article confronts both positions and tries to learn from them, even though no scientific proof can decide between them.

中文翻译：

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现代暴力：天上的还是世俗的——或者其他？

暴力通常通过其原因或结果来考虑，但很少通过其来源来考虑。对此，舆论也存在分歧。有人说人类文化是暴力的根源，爱与和平只能来自“外部”；其他人声称，正是这种“外在”才是暴力的根源，而爱只能在一个取消对任何“外在”的任意提及的社会中才能开花结果。这些立场分别由 René Girard 和 Gianni Vattimo 阐述。本文正视这两种立场并试图向它们学习，即使没有科学证据可以在它们之间做出决定。