Ouch! A lot of things start to make sense when you figure out what this statement means to you. This sentence describes the mimetic behaviour we tend to have when we desire things, a concept that has been theorised by René Girard, a French social science philosopher. This mimetic behaviour is not bad in itself. We, as human, tend to ‘’look to model of desire. People that help show us what is worth wanting’’ and sometimes ‘’take ownership of them’’. This mimetic habit becomes dangerous when we start to desire things that only make sense through the eyes of others. Hence the question the video asks, ‘’What do you really want?’’. Can’t we be influenced by things that distract us from what we really want? This influence can be extremely diverse, both in the context of thin desires (things that can be here today, gone tomorrow) or thick desires (things that are deeply anchored inside us). Yes, even matters that seem deeply rooted in us, like a career choice, can turn out to be based on miss-aligned desires. In any situation, the question to ask yourself is not WHAT makes you want to choose, buy or do something? But WHO? Who are the people influencing what you really want? There are so many more things to say about this topic that I want to recommend you this article from the same author, published in Psyche magazine, that not only sums-up what Mimetic Desires is but also how to become aware of it and overcome its dangerous effects.
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Mimetic desires
Ouch! A lot of things start to make sense when you figure out what this statement means to you. This sentence describes the mimetic behaviour we tend to have when we desire things, a concept that has been theorised by René Girard, a French social science philosopher. This mimetic behaviour is not bad in itself. We, as human, tend to ‘’look to model of desire. People that help show us what is worth wanting’’ and sometimes ‘’take ownership of them’’. This mimetic habit becomes dangerous when we start to desire things that only make sense through the eyes of others. Hence the question the video asks, ‘’What do you really want?’’. Can’t we be influenced by things that distract us from what we really want? This influence can be extremely diverse, both in the context of thin desires (things that can be here today, gone tomorrow) or thick desires (things that are deeply anchored inside us). Yes, even matters that seem deeply rooted in us, like a career choice, can turn out to be based on miss-aligned desires. In any situation, the question to ask yourself is not WHAT makes you want to choose, buy or do something? But WHO? Who are the people influencing what you really want? There are so many more things to say about this topic that I want to recommend you this article from the same author, published in Psyche magazine, that not only sums-up what Mimetic Desires is but also how to become aware of it and overcome its dangerous effects.