Mimetic Desire

The mimetic theory of desire, an explanation of human behavior and culture, originated with the French historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science René Girard (1923-2015). The name of the theory derives from the philosophical concept mimesis, which carries a wide range of meanings. In mimetic theory, mimesis refers to human desire, which Girard thought was not linear but the product of a mimetic process in which people imitate models who endow objects with value. "Man is the creature who does not know what to desire, and he turns to others in order to make up his mind. We desire what others desire because we imitate their desires."

by Juan Orbea and · updated 4mo ago

Memetic premium is a phenomenon in which people attribute higher monetary value to an idea because they:

1. See other people value an idea as well

2. Expect more people to value the idea
Alara added 4mo ago
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”
— Oscar Wilde
andrea added 5mo ago
I know this is controversial talk and antithetical to the success mantras of the metric obsessed, performative, materialistic, linear, Key Performance Indicator driven world we live in, but someone needs to play the role of the annoying child who questions lazily adhered to and potentially harmful conventions, if only to stress-test them. I mean, w... See more
from On New Year's Resolutions by Thomas J Bevan
sari added 6mo ago
The most successful founders in history did not have the mimetic contagion gene that was in constant pursuit of social validation and that would have influenced them to build the things that everyone else was building
from Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy on Apple Podcasts by Patrick O'Shaughnessy
sari added 9mo ago
One philosophical objection I have to Silicon Valley is that people are very derivative. They tend to rely too much on what other people do. When everyone relies on what everyone else does, you end up getting a deeply mimetic-culture where no one thinks for themselves.
phoebe added 9mo ago
“The modern man is always claiming a self-sufficiency which he is unable to achieve. He constantly compares himself with other people and, afraid that they might be superior, he secretly copies their manners and borrows their desires.”
from René Girard, mimetic desire, and society's biggest rat race by Leo Nasskau
Leo Nasskau added 9mo ago
Because desire is mimetic, people are naturally drawn to want what others want. ‘Two desires converging on the same object are bound to clash,’ writes Girard. This means that mimetic desire often leads people into unnecessary competition and rivalry with one another in an infernal game of status anxiety.
from How to know what you really want by Psyche
Stuart Evans added 10mo ago
It’s people we care about most, not things. If you can identify how much significance you place on something merely because of someone else’s relationship to it, you can begin to free yourself from its hold.
from How to know what you really want by Psyche
Stuart Evans added 10mo ago
Make an honest assessment of what kinds of desires the people you follow are cultivating in you. Ask yourself: Is this person I am following actually leading me to develop any positive desires, to aspire to greater things? Or are they causing me more anxiety?
from How to know what you really want by Psyche
Stuart Evans added 10mo ago

from On New Year's Resolutions by Thomas J Bevan

from Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy on Apple Podcasts by Patrick O'Shaughnessy

from René Girard, mimetic desire, and society's biggest rat race by Leo Nasskau

from How to know what you really want by Psyche

from How to know what you really want by Psyche

from How to know what you really want by Psyche