Understanding Autonomy vs. Agency in Modern Life

The last time we had entrepreneur, professor, and author Luke Burgis on the show, he discussed the concept of mimetic desire, which says that we want the things we want because other people want them. Since that time, Luke has continued to explore the idea of mimesis, and how to resist its negative consequences, in his Substack: Anti-Mimetic. Today on the show, Luke and I dig into these ideas and discuss ways we can step outside the tempo, cadences, and priorities that the world would foist upon us and establish our own rhythms for our lives. Luke unpacks what it means to have “thick desires” and become a “political atheist” and how these concepts can help you live a more anti-mimetic life.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis
• Luke’s previous appearance on the AoM podcast: Episode #714 — Why Do We Want What We Want?
• Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper 
• Deceit, Desire, and the Novel by René Girard
• The Red and the Black by Stendhal
• AoM Article: What Do You Want to Want?
• AoM Article: Freedom From…Freedom To
• AoM Podcast #215: Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction With Matthew Crawford
• AoM Podcast #796: The Life We’re Looking For
• AoM Podcast #847: Overdoing Democracy
• Sunday Firesides: Not Everything Is Political

Connect With Luke Burgis

• Luke’s Website
• Luke’s Substack: Anti-Mimetic