René Girard, theologian discovered that most of what we desire is mimetic (mi-met-ik) or imitative, not intrinsic. Humans learn—through imitation—to want the same things other people want, just as they learn how to speak the same language and play by the same cultural rules. Imitation plays a far more pervasive role in our society than anyone had ever openly acknowledged
Mimetic desire draws people toward things. This draw, this movement … mimesis is to psychology what gravity is to physics, “Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard”, James Alison (Girard scholar)
Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire, and How to Want What You Need, Luke Burgis
Rene Girard and Myth: An Introduction
linked mentions for "mimetic desire":
unformed adult zelig The hero of Woody Allen's mockumentary film, Zelig (1983), is an unformed adult who has no sense of himself. He borrows other people's identity, thinking he can be anybody. Actually, he is without a body.
mimesis a term used in literary criticism and philosophy: imitation, nonsensuous similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the act of
principles An ongoing exercise of radical introspection expressed through first-person singular writing, the slash-principles page serves as a fluid document that reflects my evolving truths, beliefs, and principles. Discomfort is not an enemy, it’s a teacher! Each tenet is shaped and refined by the hard choices I make, aligning with my personal raison d'être and ikigai.
the etiology of the existential vacuum in contrast to an animal, no drives and instincts tell man what he must do .. unlike man in former times, he is no longer told what he should do by
journalism supplies insatiable curiosity The public discovered that the pen is mightier than the paving-stone, and can be made as offensive as the brickbat. They at once sought for the
wanting what we already have “People take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience—even of silence—by choice … The weasel lives in necessity and we live in choice, hating
enacting behaviour of others subjective and relative notion … trained observer can tell whether a given action is spontaneous or compulsive what is important to one person is of