LUKE BURGIS has founded and led multiple companies. He's currently entrepreneur-in-residence and director of programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America, where he also teaches business and develops new education initiatives. He's also the founder and director of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator for people and companies that contribute to the formation of a healthy human ecology. He graduated from NYU Stern School of Business and later from a pontifical university in Rome, where he studied theology. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Claire.
"Fascinating, well-written, and original--I had a hard time putting
this down. Everyone wants to believe they can think on their own
but we are all creatures of imitation. Luke's book changed how I
think about thinking." --Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of
Money
"This is the clearest, most accessible introduction to Ren� Girard
available." -- Peter Thiel "Wanting is a thought-provoking book.
It's also a deeply moral one." --Sunday Times (UK) "Fresh
perspectives on our desires, what is really driving them and how we
can take more control." --Financial Times on Wanting, a Business
Book of the Month selection "[A] fascinating treatise that desire
is often misdirected. ... Through thoughtful anecdotes, Burgis
makes a case that 'the transformation of desire happens when we
become less concerned about the fulfillment of our own desires and
more concerned about the fulfillment of others' desires'."
--Publishers Weekly "Packed with insights about busting out of
mimetic violence." --Irshad Manji, author of Don't Label Me
"This is the clear and concise book that I've wanted to write for
thirty years, ever since discovering the groundbreaking, vital
importance of mimetic theory for the survival of the human
species." --Paul Neuchterlein, theologian "This book is hugely
important and doubly necessary--because it describes a force
influencing human behaviour which is inarguably powerful and
universal, yet which we seem evolutionarily wired not to notice at
all." --Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group and author
of Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in
Brands, Business, and Life
"In his book Wanting, Luke Burgis manages to do what is often
impossible--he makes a complex and nuanced theory accessible to
everyone by relating it to lived experiences with practical
takeaways like a list of valuable tactics the reader can use and
put into practice immediately. I highly recommend this brilliant
look at a fascinating theory of what really drives human desire."
--James P. O'Shaughnessy, Chairman of O'Shaughnessy Asset
Management and author of What Works on Wall Street "This book makes
a startling case that many of our goals are merely reflections of
what we think others want. It's a spellbinding read, and it will
leave you rethinking your own motivations for months and maybe even
years later." --Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of
Think Again and Originals, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Ren� Girard was a genius whose ideas about how and why people
imitate each other are crucial for understanding human behavior,
especially behavior in groups. In Wanting, Luke Burgis makes
Girard's ideas come alive for those of us who don't have a Ph.D. in
literary studies. This fascinating and playful book will be of
particular help for anyone who leads or manages people, and it
offers all of us powerful explanations for why we want things, and
why society seems to be going haywire in our increasingly connected
world." --Jonathan Haidt, NYU-Stern School of Business "Luke Burgis
has written a stunning, even revolutionary book. He writes about
our inner desires--who and what we want--and the very origins of
our desires. Wanting is a rare book that captures and enchants
one's mind while simultaneously providing practical tips for
improving our business success and fundamental happiness. If you
are curious what makes humans tick, why people become models for
you and others, and why rivalry is such a powerful force, you want
to read Wanting. It is revelatory." --Andrew N. Meltzoff,
co-Director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Science at the
University of Washington and co-Author, The Scientist in the Crib
"Luke Burgis' Wanting is a brilliant exploration of the hidden and
powerful dynamics of desire operating in our age of social media
memes, commercial rivalry, and rising partisan scapegoating and
violence. By helping us understand the destructive power of mimetic
desire he offers a way to extricate ourselves and our communities
from its harmful grip to form a more human, empathetic, and
value-based world that seeks to build up people rather than
products. It's a call to discernment and a deeper fulfillment that
lights a path beyond the darkness of our current world." --Stephen
Hanselman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Lives of the
Stoics and The Daily Stoic
"In an era obsessed with the next new thing, it's both shocking and
relieving to learn that there is ultimately nothing new under the
sun. Luke Burgis, channeling and building on Ren� Girard, shows us
that imitation isn't merely the sincerest form of flattery; it's
the closest to true innovation any of us will ever get. So copy me,
please, and read this book." --Douglas Rushkoff, New York Times
bestselling author and Professor of Media Theory and Digital
Economics at the City University of New York, Queens College "One
of the secrets to happiness is learning how to balance what we have
with what we want. In Wanting, Luke Burgis masterfully shows us how
to understand and manage our desires, and thus achieve more meaning
and purpose in our lives and work." --Arthur C. Brooks, Professor,
Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School "Is societal
desire and your own desire driven by unconscious mimicking of
models? Wanting, Luke Burgis's deep exploration of the human
psyche, takes you on a personal and historical journey through the
lens of desire. Reading this book, you just might find that your
past choices veered toward unconscious decision making. And, your
view of history will become richer. This book is a personal journey
worth taking." --Julie Wainwright, Founder & CEO of The RealReal
"Mimetic desire is a bit like the force from Star Wars--it's
everywhere, it binds everything, and yet it's hidden in plain
sight. Luke Burgis's book at last gives us a clear, concise, and
thought-provoking look at this phenomenon. It isn't much of an
exaggeration to say that this book will change how you look at
everything, and it's a testament to the rigor of the research and
the quality of the prose that Burgis manages to write about the
subject in depth but without losing us to airy generalizations or
reckless philosophizing. This is a must-read, can't-put-down book."
--Jimmy Soni, co-author of the award-winning A Mind at Play "Luke
Burgis brings a new and distinctive voice to illuminate the forces
at work in our world and in our lives, drawing on the work of
French theorist Ren� Girard--one of the great thinkers of our
times--in a conversational, engaging, and utterly practical way.
Burgis unveils the power of mimetic desire both in society and in
his own entrepreneurial odyssey. By the end, he helps you see the
role that it plays in your own life." --Cynthia L. Haven, author of
Evolution of Desire: A Life of Ren� Girard "'Mimetic desire' is one
of the big ideas discussed most frequently in public intellectual
circles, and also in Silicon Valley. But what exactly is mimetic
desire and why is it so important? Luke Burgis has produced the
go-to book on this topic, and everyone with mimetic desire -- in
other words everyone -- should want to read it." --Tyler Cowen, New
York Times bestselling author of The Great Stagnation
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