Claim your desire!

Have you ever thought correlating the biblical tales with stock market volatility? Or have you ever thought of tracking down the collapse of ancient civilizations in a workplace discontent, or forging a link between diet trends and career journeys? Would it be possible for you to foresee such platforms selling dreams and goods to people way before Facebook or Instagram came into life?

French philosopher René Girard did. Girard argued that desires do not come to life from inner selves but as a result of imitating others and he showed that imitation has a bigger significant role in society than we imagine.  Desire and imitation has a centuries long and an obscure relationship.

Today, mimetic desires could give answers to many different questions such as how Shakespeare’s plays can remain relevant in any period of time, why Peter Theil is the first investor of Facebook or as the world gets more connected why polarization becomes widespread.

After the start-ups he established with the desire of being financially independent failed, Luke Burgis discovered Girard. Burgis was relieved after saying goodbye to entrepreneurship and with the help of this adventure he faced a big question that will lead the next phase of his life; why do we all desire the same things? In the construct of our happiness or life that we will really enjoy, why do we always move by imitating others and lose time with unfruitful desire cycle that disappoint us each time?

Burgis believes that desire, like being able to think clearly, is an ability that we learn in time not an inherent skill. To learn more about this insight, click here to take your place now in Brand Week İstanbul 2021.