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The Daily Stoic · September 20, 2024 · 48m
Mimetic Desire and Getting What You Actually Want
Luke Burgis on mimetic desire — René Girard's discovery that most of our desires aren't our own. We unconsciously copy what others want. The Stoic task: distinguish authentic desire from imitated desire.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Burgis connects Girard to the hedonic treadmill: the reason happiness resets to baseline is that each achievement triggers new mimetic desires. You reach a goal and immediately look sideways to see what others are pursuing next.
Highlights
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Mimetic desire — most of what you want, you want because someone else wants it
Burgis: Girard's insight is that desire is not autonomous — it's triangulated. You don't want the thing; you want what a model (someone you admire or envy) wants. Remove the model, and the desire often evaporates.Was this useful?