What Do You Most Desire & Why? with Luke Burgis

Aug 13, 2021

Luke Burgis, entrepreneur in residence and director of programs at the Ciocca Centre for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America, discusses the power of mimetic desire in shaping our wellbeing. He explains how desire is influenced by social cues and role models, and offers tips for maintaining healthy relationships. Luke also delves into the positive and destructive cycles desire can create, emphasizing the importance of understanding and shaping our desires for the good of ourselves and others.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Understanding Memetic Desire: Influences on Our Desires

01:48 • 4min

Understanding the Influence of Models on Our Desires

05:55 • 3min

Internal Models of Desire and Rivalry

08:27 • 19min

Bird Watching and the Importance of Aloneness

27:05 • 2min

The Social Nature of Human Desire and Our Responsibility in Shaping Others' Wants

28:58 • 3min

Luke Burgis, who's the entrepreneur in residence and director of programs at the Ciocca Centre for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America, where he also teaches business and develops new education initiatives. Luke's co-created and led four companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He is the founder and director of Fourth World Ventures, an incubator for people and companies that contribute to the formation of a healthy human ecology. And Luke's new book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life has just been released.

In this week's episode we explore how desire impacts our wellbeing and the simple steps we can take to positively shape our desires for the good of ourselves and others.

Connect with Luke Burgis:

https://lukeburgis.com/

You’ll Learn:

[02:39] - Luke explains why understanding what shapes our desire is an important part of caring for our wellbeing.
[04:07] - Luke explains what mimetic desire is and how it influences our motivation.
[06:49] - Luke helps us understand the social nature of desire and how different role models influence us.
[08:56] - Luke offers tips for how we can keep our relationships with our role models healthy.
[11:57] - Luke explains the difference between thick and thin desires.
[14:10] - Luke discusses how having a hierarchy of values can help us navigate conflicts around thick desires.
[16:45] - Luke helps us understand the positive and destructive cycles desire can energize.
[19:15] - Luke explains how destructive cycles of desire can lead to toxic relationships and toxic cultures.
[21:51] - Luke shares an example of how we can short circuit destructive cycles of desire.
[24:53] - Luke offers some tips for how we can create positive cycles of desire in workplaces.
[27:14] - Luke begins the lightning round!

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

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Until next time, take care! Thank you, Luke!