Former startup professional turned researcher Johnathan Bi discusses Rousseau's impact, the duality of heroism, selfish glory in Silicon Valley, the difference between desire for power and execution, and tech startups' non-egalitarian nature

When the 20-year-old overachiever Johnathan Bi's first startup crashed and burned, he headed to a Zen retreat in the Catskills to "debug himself." He discovered René Girard and his mimetic theory--the idea that imitation is a key and often unconscious driver of human behavior. Listen as entrepreneur and philosopher Bi shares with EconTalk host Russ Roberts what he learned from Girard and Girard's insights into how we meet our primal need for money, fame, and power. The conversation includes the contrasts between economics and Girard's perspective.

Ahead of the release of the next episode of his lecture series on René Girard, Johnathan Bi returns for his second appearance on the show. He and Jim discuss Girard, prestige, innovation, AI, and much more. Enjoy! Important Links: Johnathan’s website Johnathan’s Twitter Johnathan’s lecture series with David Perell Our research note on Johnathan Johnathan’s first appearance on the show Show Notes: The Girardian notion of prestige What proof is there for mimesis? The difference between mimesis and status signalling Philosophical critiques of Girard Girard on innovation Historical understandings of innovation A conversation between a pessimist and an optimist AI, progress and the panopticon Could we ban innovation? Books Mentioned: The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr The Alchemy of Finance; by George Soros The Laws of Imitation; by Gabriel Tarde When These Things Begin: Conversations with Michel Treguer; by René Girard The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch The Invention of Improvement: Information and Material Progress in Seventeenth-Century England; by Paul Slack Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; by Peter Thiel

Johnathan Bi started out getting trained in Mathematics, and then eventually went on to study Philosophy and Computer Science at Columbia. He hosts a lecture series on René Girard’s Mimetic Theory and is also a founding member of Lonsdale Investment Technology. Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnathanBi Lecture series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qu6vBebwwg Website: https://johnathanbi.com/ Lonsdale Investment Technology: https://www.longterm.com/ Show Notes: Becoming pessimistic with age Humiliation always comes back to bite you How Jonathan got introduced to Buddhism and Girard Why Jonathan left academia The driving human emotion Has modernity ignored the “spirit”? Girard’s apocalyptic predictions Wild, wild west of capitalism The mystery with the discovery of the skull What does eugenics say about science? Science becoming dictatorial Buddhism figuring out the inner telescope Physical vs. metaphysical desires Mimesis in asset valuation Price to magic ratio Nietzsche's will of power Is delusion bad? Can internet lead to greater violence? “The Buddhist Solution” Girard—A rescuer of spirit And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Status Game; by Will Storr The Struggle for Recognition; by Axel Honneth Sapiens; by Yuval Noah Harari The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr The Origin of Species; Charles Darwin Untimely Meditations; by Friedrich Nietzsche

Johnathan Bi is a startup founder, philosopher and mathematician.René Girard is one of the most popular philosophers in Silicon Valley. Why is it that an obscure French polymath from the 1900's would become one of the most influential and cited thinkers amongst founders, CEOs and leaders in high-growth companies? Expect to learn how Girard believes that mimetic desire drives almost all of our behaviour, why breaking out from the group to do your own thing doesn't mean you're an individual, how having sex can end up not being for the enjoyment of sex, why Peter Thiel and so many others love Girard's work, how understanding Girard can improve your daily life and much more...Sponsors:Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/Get 20% discount on Diet Smoke’s legal THC Gummies at https://www.dietsmoke.com/ (use code: MW20)Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied)Extra Stuff:Watch Jonathan's Girard lecture series here - https://youtu.be/5Qu6vBebwwgGet my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom-Get in touch.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillxTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillxYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcastEmail: https://chriswillx.com/contact/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices