Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 02:15:59
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Luke Burgis
- ISBN：1250262488
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Travis Scher
，
Decent book， fascinating topic。
Arvind
，
Concepts and ideas distilled from previous works on a similar theme - both contemporary as well canonical。 However， it seemed to fall short of its promise to deliver on the build-up to part II of the book。 Nevertheless， it is very relevant for the current era and well worth a read。
Amish
，
Most consequential book of the year for me。
Fraser Kinnear
，
What I wanted seemed to change daily。 More respect and status， less responsibility。 More capital， fewer investors。 More public speaking， more privacy。 An intense lust for money， followed by extreme bouts of virtue signaling， involving the word “social”。 I even vacillated between wanting to bulk up and trying to slim down。 The most troubling thing to me was that the desire that led me to start and build my company was gone。 Where did it go？ Where had it come from in the first place？ AndHuman bein What I wanted seemed to change daily。 More respect and status， less responsibility。 More capital， fewer investors。 More public speaking， more privacy。 An intense lust for money， followed by extreme bouts of virtue signaling， involving the word “social”。 I even vacillated between wanting to bulk up and trying to slim down。 The most troubling thing to me was that the desire that led me to start and build my company was gone。 Where did it go？ Where had it come from in the first place？ AndHuman beings fight not because they are different， but because they are the same。 And in their attempts to distinguish themselves， have made themselves into enemy twins – human doubles – in reciprocal violence。” – René Girard A practical introduction to René Girard， as he pertains to personal ethics。 In other words， Burgis doesn’t discuss Girard’s interest in myth and theology， or our development of civilization， and only lightly touches on violence and scapegoating。 But Burgis does focus on what I understand to be Girard’s core interest， the anthropology of mimetic desire and its implications on our culture。I really appreciated how Burgis parsed sympathy and empathy through the mimetic lens:Sympathy means “feeling together”。 Our emotions fuse with those of the person we sympathize with。 We see things from their perspective。 A certain degree of agreement is implied。 Sympathy can be easily hijacked by mimesis。 Whereas for empathy:The ‘em’ in empathy means ‘to go into。’ It’s the ability to go into the experiences or feelings of another person， but without losing self-possession， or the ability to maintain control over our responses， and to act freely out of our own core… Empathy is the ability to share another person’s experience， but without imitating them – their speech， their belief， their actions， their feelings – and without identifying them to the point that one’s own individuality and self-possession are lost。 In this sense， empathy is anti-mimetic… Empathy disrupts negative cycles of mimesis。 A person who is able to empathize can enter into the experience of another person， and share her thoughts and feelings without necessarily sharing her desires。 An empathetic person has the ability to understand why someone might want something that they don’t want for themselves。 In short， empathy allows us to connect deeply with other people without becoming like other people。 I was trained on the suicide hotline to prioritize empathizing rather than sympathizing， because often sympathy comes across as competitive and pulls focus away from the person who needs your help （“I had the same feelings… etc。”）。 I realize now， from Burgis’s comments， that empathizing also probably helps with the call center operator’s own emotional sanitation， as one is less likely to end the call with the emotional baggage of the person who was in crisis。That said， I wish Burgis had been more explicit about what he learned from Aristotle。 It seems like Burgis believes a teleologically focused philosophy， like that found in Nicomachean Ethics， is a helpful means of transcending our mimetic urges。 。。。more
Chris Boutté
，
Personally， I think this is one of the most important books of recent years， and that’s no exaggeration。 I had never heard of Luke Burgis， but I kept hearing about this book， so I decided to grab a copy， and I was hooked from the beginning。 I didn’t know if I should expect a book leaning towards neuroscience and discussing dopamine， or if it’d be more in the realm of psychology and behaviorism。 Surprisingly， as someone who was unfamiliar with mimetic desire， the book was more philosophical， and Personally， I think this is one of the most important books of recent years， and that’s no exaggeration。 I had never heard of Luke Burgis， but I kept hearing about this book， so I decided to grab a copy， and I was hooked from the beginning。 I didn’t know if I should expect a book leaning towards neuroscience and discussing dopamine， or if it’d be more in the realm of psychology and behaviorism。 Surprisingly， as someone who was unfamiliar with mimetic desire， the book was more philosophical， and I loved it。 This topic is extremely important to me because I was an alcoholic and drug addict for most of my life who suffered from extreme depression， anxiety， and suicidal ideation。 Since getting sober in 2012， the most important lesson I learned is how I was constantly trying to fill a void by acquiring money， status， relationships， and more， but it ultimately left me empty。 I can’t explain the freedom I’ve found since realizing this， and since then， I’ve seen how it’s one of the primary sources of suffering for many others who are struggling in their lives。Burgis shares some of his personal story about chasing after the things he thought he wanted for most of his life， but he found a sense of relief when a major deal fell through。 Then， he goes on to break down the work of French polymath Rene Girard to explain how one of the main driving forces in our lives is mimetic desire， which has a lot to do with social comparison and mimicry。 We all think we’re in total control of our lives， but so many of us are depressed， anxious， and angry， but we don’t know why。 Burgis shows how mimetic desire affects just about every aspect of our lives， but what’s great is that he doesn’t say this is necessarily a bad thing。 His goal is to make us aware of this force so we can self-reflect， make better decisions， and hopefully find some peace and serenity。 I can’t do this book enough justice with a review， so I’ll end by saying that if you’re struggling， you need this book。 There are a few reads I have on a list of books I should revisit at least once a year， and this one was just added to that list。 。。。more
Joe Kurtek
，
I really enjoyed and recommend this book。 It will make you think very differently about a lot of things and that is the calling card of a good academic based book。 It’s a quick read， more narrative based then technical and just a really interesting way to think about things。 It really harps on Peter Thiel’s protege and teacher Dr。 Girard - and the power and impact of mimetic desire in everything。 I liked it。 I think you should read it。 I think you’d get value out of it。
Nick
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Excellent book。 Definitely a must-read for anyone not familiar with mimetic desire。 The beginning and the end of the book were the real meat and potatoes， had it just contained those chapters would have been 5 stars。 Some of the middle chapters were unnecessary thought experiments on mimesis。
Annie
，
Excuse the pun but this book left me wanting。 The foundational premise is based on Rene Girard's mimetic theory - that imitation is the fundamental mechanism of human behavior - we want what others want not what we/they need。 but what will earn other's envy。 There are interesting concepts in this book （such as rise of social media and Facebook as being all about mimetic desire）。 and interesting stories highlighting this concept through the bible， famous literature， entrepreneurs。 Where the book Excuse the pun but this book left me wanting。 The foundational premise is based on Rene Girard's mimetic theory - that imitation is the fundamental mechanism of human behavior - we want what others want not what we/they need。 but what will earn other's envy。 There are interesting concepts in this book （such as rise of social media and Facebook as being all about mimetic desire）。 and interesting stories highlighting this concept through the bible， famous literature， entrepreneurs。 Where the book falls short is there is not enough evidence to suggest that this is a universal human behavior - there are certainly a lot of exceptions to this behavior。 Sometimes he makes leaps that are a stretch -- for example saying that people working with Zappo's Founder， Tony Hsieh on developing the city of Las Vegas had committed suicide due to lack of clear structure and roles and no boundaries。 While I think Burgis does raise some interesting points and also has tips for how to recognize and address mimetic behavior in one's self -- this book is not one I would keep on my shelf to refer to again。 。。。more
Jeff
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I'm always looking to explore books examining human behavior and societal influences， so this book was a natural fit for me。 Mimetic Desire has been around forever- most of us just never called it that。 I've never really felt compelled or obsessed with it， so it was a little hard to imagine the deep connections described here。 Conceptually， yes， I get it。 Author Luke Burgis does a wonderful job exploring the topic and I found it rather fascinating。 I was curious as to why it would be listed in t I'm always looking to explore books examining human behavior and societal influences， so this book was a natural fit for me。 Mimetic Desire has been around forever- most of us just never called it that。 I've never really felt compelled or obsessed with it， so it was a little hard to imagine the deep connections described here。 Conceptually， yes， I get it。 Author Luke Burgis does a wonderful job exploring the topic and I found it rather fascinating。 I was curious as to why it would be listed in the Business and Investing category but not also in Self Help。 That seems a better fit to me。 Interesting topic， especially when you dig below the surface。I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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In this fascinating book， author Luke Burgis explores Rene Girard's mimetic theory--our tendency to covet what we think others want--and how it affects most facets of our lives。 This book is not a light read， but it's not difficult to read either。 There's just a lot to unpack， and having read it once， I'm eager to go back and study it more thoroughly。 But for now， I understand why I so covet Jack Rogers flats and Frances Valentine handbags， and why as much as I despise all the humble bragging on In this fascinating book， author Luke Burgis explores Rene Girard's mimetic theory--our tendency to covet what we think others want--and how it affects most facets of our lives。 This book is not a light read， but it's not difficult to read either。 There's just a lot to unpack， and having read it once， I'm eager to go back and study it more thoroughly。 But for now， I understand why I so covet Jack Rogers flats and Frances Valentine handbags， and why as much as I despise all the humble bragging on Facebook， I'm drawn to seek the posts of specific people。 An excellent break from my typical summer beach reads and definitely gave me food for thought。 #Wanting #NetGalley 。。。more
Matt Kelland
，
This was a fascinating book。 What do we want， and why do we want it？ Understanding those two things explains about the way we live， both as a society and as individuals。 The answer， according to Burgis， is mimesis。 （Not memes， either in the social media or the Dawkins sense， though they’re sort of related。） Basically， we want things because other people want those things （or say they do）， and we want to be like them。 In other words， our desires don’t come from within， they are driven by external This was a fascinating book。 What do we want， and why do we want it？ Understanding those two things explains about the way we live， both as a society and as individuals。 The answer， according to Burgis， is mimesis。 （Not memes， either in the social media or the Dawkins sense， though they’re sort of related。） Basically， we want things because other people want those things （or say they do）， and we want to be like them。 In other words， our desires don’t come from within， they are driven by external influences。 Recognizing that simple fact allows us to ask ourselves one vitally important question - what do I really want？ Not what I feel I ought to want， but what is actually most important to me and will make m happy？ Only then can we live a life that is truly fulfilling。（Side note， I was disappointed that among all the quotes in the books， “Tell me what you want， what you really really want！” didn’t appear。 Because we all know that what we really want is to zig-a-zig-AH！ Also， I Want You To Want Me。 You know it's true。）Seriously， though， realizing this was one of the turning points of my life。 I was going through a really dark time and didn’t know what to do。 My mentor told me one simple thing - figure out what you really want out of life。 Not what you don’t want， but what you do want。 After a lot of deep introspection， I made a decision and have never regretted it， even though it was hard and most of my friends and family thought I was crazy。 I did what I wanted， not what they wanted。One of the things that came out of this is a sincere belief that there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure。 Our so-called guilty pleasures are the things that we enjoy even if everyone else thinks they’re dumb。 In other words， they’re the deeply personal desires that come from within， not driven by peer pressure。 So embrace your guilty pleasures。I was less interested in all the material about scapegoats， which I felt took away from the main message。 We are being conditioned to want the things that companies， politicians， religions， and peer pressure thinks we should want， and most of the time， they will not make us happy。 The answer is to take time to figure out what matters most to each of us， and then follow our own desires， no matter what anyone else thinks。 Very much recommended for anyone who’s trying to make sense of the world and understand why nothing they do is making them happy - which is， I suspect， most of us。Disclaimer: I was given a review copy by the publisher。 。。。more
Mark Mulvey
，
"Each of us spends every moment of our life， from the moment we're born to the moment we die， wanting something。 We even want in our sleep。 Yet few people ever take the time to understand how they come to want things in the first place。" "Each of us spends every moment of our life， from the moment we're born to the moment we die， wanting something。 We even want in our sleep。 Yet few people ever take the time to understand how they come to want things in the first place。" 。。。more
Cynthia
，
This is an interesting book on "desire" - the science of why people want certain things， status， or relationships。 If you're interested in social sciences， you will want to read this book。 The author discusses "thick" desires versus "thin" desires - substantial things you want versus more frivolous things you might want - and how to determine the difference between the two。 There's a lot of discussion of the concept of scapegoating。 If you're interested in this subject， this book has a lengthy d This is an interesting book on "desire" - the science of why people want certain things， status， or relationships。 If you're interested in social sciences， you will want to read this book。 The author discusses "thick" desires versus "thin" desires - substantial things you want versus more frivolous things you might want - and how to determine the difference between the two。 There's a lot of discussion of the concept of scapegoating。 If you're interested in this subject， this book has a lengthy discussion of it。 For me， the subject was covered a bit too much; I think most people are already familiar with this concept。 But overall， the book was interesting and highly readable。 。。。more
RyReads
，
My expectations of this were high， but still this book was better than I expected。 It is chock-full of visual-aids and tips that allow you to implement what you're learning。 This truly delivered。 My expectations of this were high， but still this book was better than I expected。 It is chock-full of visual-aids and tips that allow you to implement what you're learning。 This truly delivered。 。。。more
Jackie
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I feel like this concept oversimplifies things。 While there are moments where I understand the applications of what the author is saying， sometimes he says things that don’t compute。
Andrée Charron-Martin
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I would like to thank St。 Martin's Press for the Advance Reader Copy of "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life"。The author， Luke Burgis， explores the mimetic desire concept founded by the French philosopher （and "the new Darwin of the social sciences"） René Girard。 Through a series of well-organized explanations and examples， Luke illustrates "why we want what we want， and how we can free ourselves to create a more fulfilling life"。This book is well written！ Luke explains the con I would like to thank St。 Martin's Press for the Advance Reader Copy of "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life"。The author， Luke Burgis， explores the mimetic desire concept founded by the French philosopher （and "the new Darwin of the social sciences"） René Girard。 Through a series of well-organized explanations and examples， Luke illustrates "why we want what we want， and how we can free ourselves to create a more fulfilling life"。This book is well written！ Luke explains the concept itself， how mimetic desire is at the basis of every human interaction， how it impacts us differently whether it is experienced in our immediate social network or from an outside model （like a celebrity）， how desire can have a creative or destructive cycle and finally he gives us the tools and skills to recognize our own mimetic desire patterns and how to transform them to lead a happier more fulfilling life。 Every step is intricately explained with real-life examples and testimonies。I am only giving it 3 stars for a few reasons:1） Although it was interesting， I lost interest。 I felt like I was back in my university philosophy courses where explanations were drawn-out。 On the plus side， since I mostly read before going to bed， it did have the somnolent properties I was looking for！2） I personally found that some of the arguments/examples were far-fetched。 3） I had already identified "mimetic desire" in my life （without knowing there was an actual theory for it） and had already worked through a lot of the baggage that comes with it。 This book would've been much more beneficial for me it I hadn't already done the work。4） I might simply not be the target audience for self-help books。5） Although I did legitimately find it thought-provoking， I will not be re-reading this book。Overall， "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life" is a great read and a book that everyone should read once！ 。。。more
Mira
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The book was an interesting read。 I especially liked the figures and images in this book because it makes it more interesting and fun to read。
Jesse
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Interesting self-help book that examines why we want what we want and how to become more mindful of it。
Mara
，
Wanting by Luke Burgis is an accessible， thought-provoking book about Mimetic Desire， explaining why we want what we want and our pursuit to get those things。 Mimetic theory identified by 20th century philosopher， Rene Girard， is based around the idea that humans imitate each other， thus mimetic desire means that we want things simply because others want them。 Most of the content in the book echoes Girard’s theories on a variety of topics related to Mimetic theory。 I found it fascinating to cons Wanting by Luke Burgis is an accessible， thought-provoking book about Mimetic Desire， explaining why we want what we want and our pursuit to get those things。 Mimetic theory identified by 20th century philosopher， Rene Girard， is based around the idea that humans imitate each other， thus mimetic desire means that we want things simply because others want them。 Most of the content in the book echoes Girard’s theories on a variety of topics related to Mimetic theory。 I found it fascinating to consider how much we are influenced by each other and moderate our behavior according to the perception of others。 I especially liked the parts that focused on our polarized identities and how scapegoats have been used throughout human history。 So much is related to our group identity and our desire to differentiate from each other。 Though， only a small part of the book， I think my biggest takeaway may be about disruptive empathy and how powerful it can be to change perception of another person。 Disruptive empathy occurs when we empathize and show vulnerability with someone we perceive as outside of our group， say someone who shares opposing political beliefs。 Ultimately， Burgis emphasizes re-orienting ourselves and our goals to focus on thick desires vs。 thin desires， e。g。 what actually brings you deeper fulfillment in life vs。 a superficial desire that only gives you a brief reward。 Overall， Luke Burgis synthesizes information and anecdotes in fascinating and readable way， much like Malcolm Gladwell。 I loved the narration by Luke Burgis and Sean Patrick Hopkins。 Their voices were perfect for the content and kept me interested。 Thank you St。 Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio for providing this e-book and audiobook ARC。 。。。more
James Gribble
，
I have been trying to find this book for a while as a guide to life。We so often discount the power of our minds and social networks。I would be interested in such a book on the power of the placebo on our health。
Tricia S。
，
Mimetic Theory。 So if I'm getting this right Luke Burgis is saying that the desires we have is not something we actually want。 It's something that someone else wants。 We see a commercial and cause someone on that commercial wants what that commercial is about， we will want that thing too？ Ooo is that why when we're in a relationship we seem to get hit on more then ever before but when we are single it's like no one wants us。 That may be a lame way of thinking about it but it's how I understand i Mimetic Theory。 So if I'm getting this right Luke Burgis is saying that the desires we have is not something we actually want。 It's something that someone else wants。 We see a commercial and cause someone on that commercial wants what that commercial is about， we will want that thing too？ Ooo is that why when we're in a relationship we seem to get hit on more then ever before but when we are single it's like no one wants us。 That may be a lame way of thinking about it but it's how I understand it。 This is starting to make sense to me。 Well done Luke Burgis， you taught an old dog new tricks。 Honestly at first I almost fell asleep listening to this audio but if you listen more you will get into。 I'm glad I was able to listen to thus audio， thank you #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio 。。。more
Claire
，
This was an incredible read， I highly recommend it。 I am usually a fiction reader but I love the occasional "big idea" book。 This one is unique。 It's "big" -- big but engrossing and totally relatable。 The book stays snappy thanks to the author's comfortable voice and creative storytelling。Wanting is about a theory of the French philosopher/polymath Rene Girard， called Mimetic Desire， and our lives。 It may sound esoteric-- but it's universal。 It means， basically， that we want what other people wa This was an incredible read， I highly recommend it。 I am usually a fiction reader but I love the occasional "big idea" book。 This one is unique。 It's "big" -- big but engrossing and totally relatable。 The book stays snappy thanks to the author's comfortable voice and creative storytelling。Wanting is about a theory of the French philosopher/polymath Rene Girard， called Mimetic Desire， and our lives。 It may sound esoteric-- but it's universal。 It means， basically， that we want what other people want， but because other people want it。 We are constantly looking to models （classmates， celebrities， colleagues） to shape our desires。 Burgis is able to do what I find to be the gold standard in nonfiction- taking heady ideas and presenting them in a way that allowed me to instantly draw connections to their relevance and impacts in my own life。 Burgis clearly shows-- through stories from his life， fascinating anecdotes of people living and in history， literature， biology， and even business-- what mimetic desire is， how pervasive it is in our lives， and some of the dangers of living unattuned to its existence。 Not to leave us hanging， the second half of the book points to how we can use our knowledge of this imitative type of desire to help quiet some of the mimetic noise in our busy lives and focus， on what he calls， "thick desires。"I would recommend this book to anyone， but especially anyone looking to gain deeper understanding of themselves and our society， and looking to take hold of their future。 Beautifully done。 。。。more
Nima Morgan
，
A fascinating book about how to explain our " wants" or mimetic desires。 Mr。 Burgis places a name on what and why we want the things we want。 It was a very interesting read。 Basically giving a name to what drives us to do what we do and want what we want， or human nature。 Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for and e-ARC for a review。 #NetGalley #STMartinsPress。 A fascinating book about how to explain our " wants" or mimetic desires。 Mr。 Burgis places a name on what and why we want the things we want。 It was a very interesting read。 Basically giving a name to what drives us to do what we do and want what we want， or human nature。 Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for and e-ARC for a review。 #NetGalley #STMartinsPress。 。。。more
Amanda T
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This book isn't about research done by Burgis - he's based most of the book on the work of Rene Girard。 Burgis interviews some people who fit with Girard's mimetic theory， such as the Michelin Star chef who asked not to be considered for the Michelin Guide。 That was the most interesting one and it's the best example of why what you think you want isn't necessarily going to make you happy。 He also uses an example from his own life in which he lined up a sale to Zappos which ultimately fell throug This book isn't about research done by Burgis - he's based most of the book on the work of Rene Girard。 Burgis interviews some people who fit with Girard's mimetic theory， such as the Michelin Star chef who asked not to be considered for the Michelin Guide。 That was the most interesting one and it's the best example of why what you think you want isn't necessarily going to make you happy。 He also uses an example from his own life in which he lined up a sale to Zappos which ultimately fell through。 What I found is amusing is that Zappos was sold to Amazon - which he quietly mentions。 For all it's wonderful Zappos culture， they ended up selling out to Amazon。 I found there was one glaring omission in the book: where is role of advertising when it comes to mimetic desire？ Remember the ads for kids cereal from the '80s？ You wanted it because the kid on TV was eating it （Mikey - remember Mikey's Life cereal？）。 There's no mention at all of advertising for explaining what we want or why we want it。I also had trouble with the scapegoat section - I understand what Burgis was trying to say， but stating that Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos was a scapegoat？ Um， nope。 She was a fraud - she was peddling a product that didn't work and she knew it。 His example of Holmes modelling herself after Steve Jobs， who himself modelled himself after someone he met in school does work as an example of modelling， but not as a scapegoat。 I also didn't understand the frat boy pool party analogy and why it needed to be included。 A really solid real life example would have been better such as， Lehman Brothers - how they became the scapegoat for the entire subprime mortgage crisis and financial meltdown of 2008。I like the idea of writing down your Fulfillment Stories to figure out what your motivations are。 I'll take the free assessment online and decide if I'm going to purchase the companion book （this section is also based on another author's theory）。 Although， if I really think about it， I'm fairly certain I can figure out what my own motivations are， but I'll do the assessment anyway。Nitpicks about the book itself: the illustrations are hand drawn， very small and difficult to read。 The Mimetic Matrix on page 197 （of my ARC） is so tiny， I gave up trying to decipher it。There are a couple of interesting tidbits in this book， but I maintain that I'm not the target audience。 The target audience would be considerably younger， impressionable and swayed by friends and influencers。 And that isn't me。 。。。more
Mack Bowen
，
Cant wait for this book release！ Such an important topic
Grady Connolly
，
Luke Burgis is an exceptional writer and thought leader on the topic of mimetic desire。 Reading this book is a MUST for those looking to understand why we want what we want。 In a hyper-connected world， Wanting provides groundbreaking applications of Renè Girard's work to the modern world。 I am eager to see these ideas shape the mindsets and philosophies of our future leaders， and start much needed conversations around the world。 Luke Burgis is an exceptional writer and thought leader on the topic of mimetic desire。 Reading this book is a MUST for those looking to understand why we want what we want。 In a hyper-connected world， Wanting provides groundbreaking applications of Renè Girard's work to the modern world。 I am eager to see these ideas shape the mindsets and philosophies of our future leaders， and start much needed conversations around the world。 。。。more
Elisabeth
，
I wanted to like this book more than I did。 I found myself fascinated by the ideas at the onset， and will certainly continue to use and think about some of the information。。 I appreciate the inspiration to consider what I have wanted， currently want， and will want。。。 and why。 However， I also found myself frustrated throughout the read by the delivery of the ideas， and the lack of coherency and logic of conclusions。 It was a case of: I love the ideas here， and I wish that it had been edited more。 I wanted to like this book more than I did。 I found myself fascinated by the ideas at the onset， and will certainly continue to use and think about some of the information。。 I appreciate the inspiration to consider what I have wanted， currently want， and will want。。。 and why。 However， I also found myself frustrated throughout the read by the delivery of the ideas， and the lack of coherency and logic of conclusions。 It was a case of: I love the ideas here， and I wish that it had been edited more。 （I did read an early copy， so my assumption is that grammar/copy edits and visuals becoming more readable will be made before final print。） I wanted to see more logic to transitions and explanation of why some pieces were being shared。。 landing the ideas。 That said: I think thinking of mimetic desire and its affect on myself and everyone around me will be something I continue to noodle on for some time。 。。。more
Hannah Cernicky
，
When I started this book， I noticed in the preface， the author made large claims， that this work could be life changing。 As a solid Enneagram 6， I took note with skepticism， and read on。 This book explains The Theory of Mimetic Desire developed by Rene Girard， how this theory influences society and life， and how one might learn from and use it to grasp its effect and potentially reorient one’s direction accordingly。 Sort of like explaining what wind is， how it has shaped landmarks， ocean current When I started this book， I noticed in the preface， the author made large claims， that this work could be life changing。 As a solid Enneagram 6， I took note with skepticism， and read on。 This book explains The Theory of Mimetic Desire developed by Rene Girard， how this theory influences society and life， and how one might learn from and use it to grasp its effect and potentially reorient one’s direction accordingly。 Sort of like explaining what wind is， how it has shaped landmarks， ocean currents， and aviation， and then teaching the reader how to adjust their sails in the direction they want to go。 The writing is easy to understand and the author skilled in communicating complex concepts。 The sequence of the book is logical， and each component is accompanied by many of the author’s personal antidotes as well as many references to popular figures such as Steve Job， Annie Dillard， Ferrari and Lamborghini， Tony Hsieh， and many more。 Each story was interesting， and the detail was engrossing。 This style reminded me a lot of Malcom Gladwell and Susan Caine。 This book is extremely relevant and timely， asking and answering， “Why do we want the things that we want？” After a breaking down of the theory in smaller bite size pieces， the author goes on to make suggestions， on how this can effect business leaders， politics， social media， religion， management， teachers， parents， and families。 We all have models， people who tell us what is worth wanting or not， and we all have values， that properly recognized and ranked can reveal so much about us and what makes life fulfilling。 I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the why behind our desires。 It turns out the claims the author made in the beginning were more true than not， the ideas and 15 Tactics the author lays out has the potential to be life changing and helpful if embraced。 。。。more
Hannah Cernicky
，
When I started this book， I noticed in the preface， the author made large claims， that this work could be life changing。 As a solid Enneagram 6， I took note with skepticism， and read on。 This book explains The Theory of Mimetic Desire developed by Rene Girard， how this theory influences society and life， and how one might learn from and use it to grasp its effect and potentially reorient one’s direction accordingly。 Sort of like explaining what wind is， how it has shaped landmarks， ocean current When I started this book， I noticed in the preface， the author made large claims， that this work could be life changing。 As a solid Enneagram 6， I took note with skepticism， and read on。 This book explains The Theory of Mimetic Desire developed by Rene Girard， how this theory influences society and life， and how one might learn from and use it to grasp its effect and potentially reorient one’s direction accordingly。 Sort of like explaining what wind is， how it has shaped landmarks， ocean currents， and aviation， and then teaching the reader how to adjust their sails in the direction they want to go。 The writing is easy to understand and the author skilled in communicating complex concepts。 The sequence of the book is logical， and each component is accompanied by many of the author’s personal antidotes as well as many references to popular figures such as Steve Job， Annie Dillard， Ferrari and Lamborghini， Tony Hsieh， and many more。 Each story was interesting， and the detail was engrossing。 This style reminded me a lot of Malcom Gladwell and Susan Caine。 This book is extremely relevant and timely， asking and answering， “Why do we want the things that we want？” After a breaking down of the theory in smaller bite size pieces， the author goes on to make suggestions， on how this can effect business leaders， politics， social media， religion， management， teachers， parents， and families。 We all have models， people who tell us what is worth wanting or not， and we all have values， that properly recognized and ranked can reveal so much about us and what makes life fulfilling。 I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the why behind our desires。 It turns out the claims the author made in the beginning were more true than not， the ideas and 15 Tactics the author lays out has the potential to be life changing and helpful if embraced。 。。。more
Melissa McGuire
，