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Wanting

The Power of Mimetic Desire, and How to Want What You Need

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About this listen

A groundbreaking exploration of why we want what we want, and a toolkit for freeing ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires.

Humans don't desire anything independently. Human desire is mimetic - we imitate what other people want. This affects the way we choose partners, friends, careers, clothes and travel destinations. Mimetic desire is responsible for the formation of our very identities. It explains the enduring relevancy of Shakespeare's plays, why Peter Thiel decided to be the first investor in Facebook, and why our world is growing more divided as it becomes more connected.

Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, teacher and student of classical philosophy, Luke Burgis shares tactics that help turn blind wanting into intentional wanting - to be more in control of the things we want, and to find more meaning in our work and lives.

©2021 Faber & Faber (P)2021 Faber & Faber Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions
All stars
Most relevant
I'm not sure why but this book didn't land with me. I finished it, but didn't feel like i took away a great deal. Felt a bit overly long and some of the arguments/analogies were a bit dubious in places. If I recall, the book promised a sort of framework for your own wants/needs but it never materialised really, so a bit disappointed in it overall.

"Wanted" to like this more than I actually did

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The content of this book should really be self-evident to most people, it seems to me. But it's a popular book, so perhaps it's not. Some observations here and there are interesting, otherwise, just "okay".

Quite Obvious

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Wanting. To listen again. Wanting. To buy hard copy. To read and highlight. Thank you, Luke.
For sharing wisdom. To help us, help each other. To grow our own understandings of ourselves and others. That’s a great model!

💪✌️🏹💛

A Beautiful Book

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I don’t like to criticise the work of an author, but there was something frustratingly and deeply average about this book.

I feel it was just a bunch of data points jammed together the author found interesting.

Some good takeaways and general knowledge, but overall could have been slimmed down to an essay

Average

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The substance of this book in one sentence: our desires are influenced by people around us (what they have or want). Keeping up with Joneses. There is not enough meat for a 9 hour book.
I did like the chapter dedicated to 'desires of the future' though. What would you want to want in the future? Quite a hard one to answer.

Too wordy, too long for what it has to say

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