Enroll in the next Anti-Mimetic Life workshop

Luke Burgis

Why do you want the things you want?

Desire: it’s ubiquitous, social, contagious, and malleable. People unconsciously imitate the desires of others—and therefore they value jobs, spouses, brands, moral viewpoints, and even themselves according to what other people want. This phenomenon has been exploited by internet trolls, politicians, and ad agencies, but it was never fully explained until the French thinker René Girard uncovered the mystery of mimetic desire. In his new book, Luke Burgis draws on his experience as an entrepreneur fluent in classical philosophy to look inside the fascinating world of human desire.
Get It Now

What gravity is to physics, mimetic desire is to psychology.

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

Gravity is a powerful force that affects every aspect of our physical being. But there’s a psychological force just as ubiquitous. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and for the escalation of interpersonal rivalries. Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and shows how it shapes our lives and societies.

René Girard, called the “Darwin of the social sciences,” discovered that humans don’t desire anything individually, entirely on their own, but mimetically—they imitate the desires of others, which causes them to  pursue people, places, and things, even their very identity, based on what other people model as desirable.

Wanting shows how anxiety and conflict comes not from our differences, but from our sameness. Because we learn to want what other people want, we are on a collision course with one another unless we understand what’s driving us.

Like our gravity-defying missions to space, we don’t have to be passive in the face of mimetic desire. We are free to choose our response to it. That starts with knowing how it works. Those who do have a responsibility to be leaders who are intentional about how they affect the desires of others.

Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, teacher, and student of classical philosophy and theology, Burgis shares tactics for counteracting the destructive forces of mimetic desire. We can turn blind wanting into intentional wanting―not by trying to rid ourselves of desire, but by desiring differently. It’s possible to achieve more independence from trends and bubbles, to be more in control of the things we want, and to find more meaning in our work and life by working with rather than against others to build a better world.

The future will be the one that we want. This book is about how we’ll come to want it.

Order Now:

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

Available Now.

Order Now

Videos

Previous
Next

Who It's For

Praise for Luke Burgis & Wanting

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. By helping us understand the destructive power of mimetic desire he offers a way to extricate ourselves and our communities from its harmful grip to form a more human, empathetic, and value-based world that seeks to build up people rather than products. It’s a call to discernment and a deeper fulfillment that lights a path beyond the darkness of our current world.
Stephen Hanselman
Stephen HanselmanNew York Times bestselling co-author of LIVES OF THE STOICS and THE DAILY STOIC
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
Adam GrantNew York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN and ORIGINALS, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
Luke Burgis has written a stunning, even revolutionary book. He writes about our inner desires—who and what we want—and the very origins of our desires. Wanting is a rare book that captures and enchants one’s mind while simultaneously providing practical tips for improving our business success and fundamental happiness. If you are curious what makes humans tick, why people become models for you and others, and why rivalry is such a powerful force, you want to read Wanting. It is revelatory.
Andrew N. Meltzoff
Andrew N. MeltzoffCo-Director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Science at the University of Washington
"Mimetic desire" is one of the big ideas discussed most frequently in public intellectual circles, and also in Silicon Valley. But what exactly is mimetic desire and why is it so important? Luke Burgis has produced the go-to book on this topic, and everyone with mimetic desire—in other words everyone—should want to read it.
Tyler Cowen
Tyler CowenNew York Times bestselling author of The Great Stagnation
In an era obsessed with the next new thing, it's both shocking and relieving to learn that there is ultimately nothing new under the sun. Luke Burgis, channeling and building on René Girard, shows us that imitation isn't merely the sincerest form of flattery; it's the closest to true innovation any of us will ever get. So copy me, please, and read this book.
Douglas Rushkoff
Douglas RushkoffNew York Times bestselling author of TEAM HUMAN
One of the secrets to happiness is learning how to balance what we have with what we want. In WANTING, Luke Burgis masterfully shows us how to understand and manage our desires, and thus achieve more meaning and purpose in our lives and work
Arthur C. Brooks
Arthur C. BrooksProfessor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School
Is societal desire and your own desire driven by unconscious mimicking of models? Wanting, Luke Burgis's deep exploration of the human psyche takes you on a personal and historical journey through the lens of desire. Reading this book, you just might find that your past choices veered toward unconscious decision making. And, your view of history will become richer. This book is a personal journey worth taking.
Julie Wainwright
Julie WainwrightFounder & CEO of The RealReal
Is societal desire and your own desire driven by unconscious mimicking of models? Wanting, Luke Burgis's deep exploration of the human psyche takes you on a personal and historical journey through the lens of desire. Reading this book, you just might find that your past choices veered toward unconscious decision making. And, your view of history will become richer. This book is a personal journey worth taking.
Julie Wainwright
Julie WainwrightFounder & CEO of The RealReal
Luke Burgis brings a new and distinctive voice to illuminate the forces at work in our world and in our lives, drawing on the work of French theorist René Girard—one of the great thinkers of our times—in a conversational, engaging, and utterly practical way. Burgis unveils the power of mimetic desire both in society and in his own entrepreneurial odyssey. By the end, he helps you see the role that it plays in your own life.
Cynthia Haven
Cynthia HavenAuthor of Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard
Mimetic desire is a bit like the force from Star Wars—it's everywhere, it binds everything, and yet it's hidden in plain sight. Luke Burgis's book at last gives us a clear, concise, and thought-provoking look at this phenomenon. It isn't much of an exaggeration to say that this book will change how you look at everything, and it's a testament to the rigor of the research and the quality of the prose that Burgis manages to write about the subject in depth but without losing us to airy generalizations or reckless philosophizing. This is a must-read, can't-put-down book.
Jimmy Soni
Jimmy SoniCo-author of the award-winning A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age
This book is hugely important and doubly necessary - because it describes a force influencing human behaviour which is inarguably powerful and universal, yet which we seem evolutionarily wired not to notice at all.
Rory Sutherland
Rory SutherlandVice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Group and Author of Alchemy
Previous
Next

Ride/Drive

My notes as a creator in an algorithmic world—learning when to ride and when to drive

Twitter Instagram Facebook Linkedin
All rights reserved Luke Burgis / Fourth Wall Ventures 2019-2023 ©

Luke Burgis

Luke Burgis

Luke Burgis

Please note that due to the number of emails that we receive, we cannot respond to every one.

Ride/Drive

My notes as a creator in an algorithmic world—learning when to ride and when to drive.