Wanting
The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life
Lavin Exclusive Speaker
There is no innovation without imitation, says Luke Burgis. A serial entrepreneur and author, Burgis shatters the myth that our desires belong entirely to us. Everything we want, do, or create is powerfully influenced by those around us. In his recently released book Wanting, Burgis applies the principles of mimetic theory—the idea that desire is a social construct—to business, offering a unique lens to understand rivalry, conflict, and the collective will of our organizations. By showing us the hidden forces behind why we want things, Burgis helps us to break free from destructive desires, and cultivate the more intentional desires that build a better world.
Luke Burgis has been an investor on Wall Street, an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and a student studying classical philosophy and theology. His unique path inspired him to contemplate the deeper purpose of entrepreneurship, faith, and human flourishing, forever transforming the way he thinks about business. Today, Burgis is a thought leader in mimetic theory— Rene Girard’s idea that people don’t want things independently and autonomously, but rather through the social fabric of relationships. In his latest book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, Burgis outlines the way that desire is born and shaped, and how business leaders can harness it to affect positive change in their companies and the world. He offers real-world examples from influential people and companies such as PayPal, Google, and Tesla founder Elon Musk. For instance, why did PayPal founder Peter Thiel feel compelled to invest in Facebook? He knew it would thrive because it fueled our deep need to learn from others what to want.
Through these stories, Burgis shows us how imitation has played a far greater role in human affairs than has ever been previously acknowledged. “The one fundamental truth that Girard knew is this—desire is mimetic, or imitative. Our powers of imitation are far greater and pervasive than we ever imagined. The imitation of desire leads us to compete for the same things, which leads to competition, rivalry, and eventually to violence.” Compelling as it is contrarian, Wanting offers us a radical new way of understanding business, politics, education, family, and organizational structures. In addition to Wanting, Burgis co-authored Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person. His work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and America Magazine.
Burgis is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship in Washington, D.C., where he speaks, teaches, and leads efforts to advance a human-centered approach to business. He is the founder and Chairman of the Inscape Center for Personal Vocation, dedicated to helping people discover and live out their unique callings, and regularly consults with corporations to help them build more people-centric cultures and create value through relationships. Burgis is also recognized for his “spiritual entrepreneurship” as the co-founder and CEO of ActivPrayer, a fitness company that provides coaching and training programs based on spiritual principles. He was named one of Business Week’s ‘Top 25 Under 25’ Entrepreneurs for one of his early start-ups. Burgis is a graduate of the Stern School of Business at New York University and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.