Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
Wanting starts from a simple claim borrowed from the philosopher Rene Girard. Human beings do not generate their own desires from scratch, they imitate the desires of the people around them. Luke Burgis unpacks how this shows up in careers, friendships, markets, and social media, then explains why mimetic rivalry drives most conflict. He introduces vocabulary like models, celebristan, and freshmanistan to name the invisible forces that pull us toward goals we never really examined. The second half turns practical, offering habits that quiet imitation and help readers build thicker desires that hold up over time. Burgis writes in a warm, conversational voice, using startup life, spiritual direction, and pop culture as case studies.
What you might want to know about Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Luke Burgis translates Rene Girard's theory of mimetic desire into a plain English guide to why we want what we want and how to choose better.
Wilkinson has spoken publicly about how mimetic desire reframed his relationship to status and money, and he has pointed to Wanting as the most accessible introduction to Girard for busy readers.
No. Burgis writes for a general reader and introduces every term he needs. Readers already familiar with Girard will find the second half more useful than the first.
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life was written by Luke Burgis, published in 2021 by St. Martin's Press.
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life is 288 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
