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Cynthia Haven on René Girard's mimetic theory. Humans don't desire independently — they imitate the desires of others. This mimetic desire explains everything from fashion to violence. Girard's theory as a framework for understanding culture wars.
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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Girard via Haven: the hedonic treadmill is driven by mimetic desire — you adapt to each acquisition because your desire was never for the object but for the model who desired it. Get the object, lose the desire.
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Girard via Haven: your desires are shaped by your social environment — specifically, by the desires of the people around you. You don't choose what to want; your social environment chooses for you.
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