Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life

Written by Luke Burgis

Narrated by Luke Burgis and Sean Patrick Hopkins

A groundbreaking exploration of why we want what we want, and a toolkit for freeing ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires.

Gravity affects every aspect of our physical being, but there’s a psychological force just as powerful—yet almost nobody has heard of it. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and fueling cycles of anxiety and conflict. In Wanting, Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies.

According to Girard, humans don’t desire anything independently. Human desire is mimetic—we imitate what other people want. This affects the way we choose partners, friends, careers, clothes, and vacation destinations. Mimetic desire is responsible for the formation of our very identities. It explains the enduring relevancy of Shakespeare’s plays, why Peter Thiel decided to be the first investor in Facebook, and why our world is growing more divided as it becomes more connected.

Wanting also shows that conflict does not arise because of our differences—it comes from our sameness. Because we learn to want what other people want, we often end up competing for the same things. Ignoring our large similarities, we cling to our perceived differences.

Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, teacher, and student of classical philosophy and theology, Burgis shares tactics that help turn blind wanting into intentional wanting--not by trying to rid ourselves of desire, but by desiring differently. It’s possible to be more in control of the things we want, to achieve more independence from trends and bubbles, and to find more meaning in our work and lives.

The future will be shaped by our desires. Wanting shows us how to desire a better one.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"This book makes a startling case that many of our goals are merely reflections of what we think others want. It’s a spellbinding read, and it will leave you rethinking your own motivations for months and maybe even years later.” --Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Originals, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

"Luke Burgis’ Wanting is a brilliant exploration of the hidden and powerful dynamics of desire operating in our age of social media memes, commercial rivalry, and rising partisan scapegoating and violence...It’s a call to discernment and a deeper fulfillment that lights a path beyond the darkness of our current world." --Stephen Hanselman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Lives of the Stoics and The Daily Stoic

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781250802941

Luke Burgis

LUKE BURGIS has founded and led multiple companies. He’s currently entrepreneur-in-residence and director of programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America, where he also teaches business and develops new education initiatives. He's also the founder and director of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator for people and companies that contribute to the formation of a healthy human ecology. He graduated from NYU Stern School of Business and later from a pontifical university in Rome, where he studied theology. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Claire.

Reviews for Wanting

[Caesar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

UNREAL great yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

[Josh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book truly makes you think and is more than interesting. I can only recommend you give it try. I'm so glad I did.

[Raina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing insight. Not only for a perspective on marketing and business, but for life.

[khaoula · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book with lots of examples of mimic in normal life. When one start to notice it, one sees it everywhere.

[Matias · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great work about Girard's ideas. What fascinated me the most about the book is the use the author makes of anthropological concepts to rethink ones own desires and purpose in life. I think its very creative and will be very helpful as a tool to self inquiry. It has make me think about how self inquiry or the study of one´s own self cannot be separated from the science of humankind (Aka. anthropology).