How Did You Get Interested in Girard?

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"Welcome to Econ Talk, Conversations for the Curious," says Russ Roberts, the host of the show. In this episode, he invites entrepreneur and philosopher, Jonathan B, to discuss the thought of Renee Girard. Jonathan shares how his background in math and computer science led him to philosophy and the recognition theorists. He explains that these theorists see humans as inherently social and explores how Gerard's ideas helped him overcome the challenges of prestige-seeking and external expectations. Tune in for an engaging conversation on econtalk.org!"

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.