{"id":89985,"date":"2023-01-25T12:03:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=89985"},"modified":"2023-01-27T12:00:55","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T16:00:55","slug":"wanting-by-luke-burgis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wanting-by-luke-burgis\/","title":{"rendered":"Wanting by Luke Burgis: Book Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Looking for an overview of Wanting<\/em> by Luke Burgis? What are the key takeaways from the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Wanting<\/em> by Luke Burgis, he explains how to apply Ren\u00e9 Girard\u2019s theory of “mimetic desire” to your own life. By doing this, you\u2019ll learn how to push both yourself and others to chase meaningful desires instead of misleading ones, says Burgis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for an overview of the theories and advice in Wanting<\/em> by Luke Burgis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Wanting<\/em> Book Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We spend a lot of time planning how<\/em> to achieve the things we want, such as professional and relationship goals\u2014but we rarely consider why<\/em> we want those things. In Wanting<\/em> by Luke Burgis, he aims to fill this gap by exploring the ideas of Ren\u00e9 Girard, an academic whose theory of \u201cmimetic desire\u201d seeks to explain where our desires come from. According to Girard\u2019s theory, we don\u2019t form our own desires\u2014rather, we imitate what other people<\/em> want or have.<\/strong> Burgis argues that increasing your awareness of mimetic desire will empower you to pursue life\u2019s most meaningful desires.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luke Burgis is a writer, entrepreneur, and educator whose work revolves around teaching others about mimetic desire. Wanting<\/em>, published in 2021, is his first book. Burgis mentors budding entrepreneurs by combining ideas on mimetic desire with his experience as a former CEO of a large wellness company. He also teaches business to university students and serves as an adviser for several K-12 initiatives on educating children about desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Meaning of Mimetic Desire<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Burgis, Girard\u2019s theory of mimetic desire<\/a> states that most of our desires are <\/strong>mimetic, <\/em><\/strong>meaning we mimic what <\/strong>others<\/em><\/strong> want or have. <\/strong>\u201cMimetic\u201d comes from the Greek word mimesthai,<\/em> meaning \u201cto imitate.\u201d Girard defines desires as objects or experiences we want<\/em> rather than biologically need. <\/em>We need<\/em> basics such as food, water, safety, and shelter. After meeting these needs, we want<\/em> things such as a nice home and supportive colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: While Burgis describes how Girard distinguishes needs from desires, he doesn\u2019t explore examples of cravings we have that fail to neatly fit into either category. For instance, is it possible to need<\/em> food as well as desire<\/em> food? If it\u2019s your goal to only eat fresh, organic ingredients, is that a need<\/em> or a desire? <\/em>It\u2019s unclear whether Girard\u2019s theory of mimetic desire applies to ambiguous cases such as these.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Luke Burgis’s Wanting<\/em>, Girard\u2019s theory rejects the widely held belief that we generate our own desires: <\/strong>Your desires don\u2019t arise spontaneously\u2014they come from someone else. Even if you think your reasons for desiring something are rational, you actually<\/em> desire it because someone else desires it or already has it. Girard based these ideas on his observations about character motives in literature as well as what he learned about human behavior through studying anthropology, sociology, and psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans Are Hard-Wired to Mimic Others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Wanting<\/em>, Luke Burgis claims that mimetic desire governs our behavior because we\u2019re hard-wired to mimic others<\/strong>. Burgis explains that because humans are social creatures, mimicry is part of almost everything we do. He provides two pieces of evidence supporting this idea that we\u2019re hard-wired to mimic others:<\/p>\n\n\n\n