Mimesis, Violence, and Facebook: Peter Thiel’s French Connection

Girard will be looked back on as a Father of the Church:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSzF2OG2ejI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNkSBy5wWDk

There's been some criticism leveled against Girard's work wrt it's scientific credibility[0]. Has there been any studies on mimetic desire/conflict?

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/René_Girard#Use_of_evidence

“Man is the creature who does not know what to desire, and who turns to others in order to make up his mind. We desire what others desire because we imitate their desires.”

But how do these others desire in the first place? Have the first desires begun with imitating animals?

The most basic desires are rooted in being a social animal. Food, water, sleep, comfort, shelter, bonding, play.