Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Wanting cover art

Wanting

Written by: Luke Burgis
Narrated by: Luke Burgis, Sean Patrick Hopkins
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $23.67

Buy Now for $23.67

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A groundbreaking exploration of why we want what we want, and a toolkit for freeing ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires.

Gravity affects every aspect of our physical being, but there’s a psychological force just as powerful - yet almost nobody has heard of it. It’s responsible for bringing groups of people together and pulling them apart, making certain goals attractive to some and not to others, and fueling cycles of anxiety and conflict. In Wanting, Luke Burgis draws on the work of French polymath René Girard to bring this hidden force to light and reveals how it shapes our lives and societies.  

According to Girard, humans don’t desire anything independently. Human desire is mimetic - we imitate what other people want. This affects the way we choose partners, friends, careers, clothes, and vacation destinations. Mimetic desire is responsible for the formation of our very identities. It explains the enduring relevancy of Shakespeare’s plays, why Peter Thiel decided to be the first investor in Facebook, and why our world is growing more divided as it becomes more connected.

Wanting also shows that conflict does not arise because of our differences - it comes from our sameness. Because we learn to want what other people want, we often end up competing for the same things. Ignoring our large similarities, we cling to our perceived differences.

Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, teacher, and student of classical philosophy and theology, Burgis shares tactics that help turn blind wanting into intentional wanting - not by trying to rid ourselves of desire, but by desiring differently. It’s possible to be more in control of the things we want, to achieve more independence from trends and bubbles, and to find more meaning in our work and lives.

The future will be shaped by our desires. Wanting shows us how to desire a better one.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

"This book makes a startling case that many of our goals are merely reflections of what we think others want. It’s a spellbinding read, and it will leave you rethinking your own motivations for months and maybe even years later.” (Adam Grant, New York Times best-selling author of Think Again and Originals, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife)

"Luke Burgis’ Wanting is a brilliant exploration of the hidden and powerful dynamics of desire operating in our age of social media memes, commercial rivalry, and rising partisan scapegoating and violence.... It’s a call to discernment and a deeper fulfillment that lights a path beyond the darkness of our current world." (Stephen Hanselman, New York Times best-selling co-author of Lives of the Stoics and The Daily Stoic)

©2021 Luke Burgis (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

"This book makes a startling case that many of our goals are merely reflections of what we think others want. It’s a spellbinding read, and it will leave you rethinking your own motivations for months and maybe even years later." (Adam Grant, New York Times best-selling author of Think Again and Originals, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife)
 

"Luke Burgis’ Wanting is a brilliant exploration of the hidden and powerful dynamics of desire operating in our age of social media memes, commercial rivalry, and rising partisan scapegoating and violence.... It’s a call to discernment and a deeper fulfillment that lights a path beyond the darkness of our current world." (Stephen Hanselman, New York Times best-selling co-author of Lives of the Stoics and The Daily Stoic

More from the same

Author:

What listeners say about Wanting

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A real eye opener

Loved this book. Haven’t stopped referencing it since the first time I listened. On my third time now and ordered the physical book. Has so many answers to questions that seem so easily understood after applying Burgis’ logic. Really thought provoking and entertaining too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not for me

Very disappointing. Nothing new here. Superficial psychological thinking. Not for me. The advertising promised more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great and simple explanation of Desires

I had no idea what mimetic desire was before listening to this book. Now I can’t help but see my world and all my actions in it from this lens.

The author does a great job of explaining why we want what we want. It is a simple concept, presented simply to better help understand the complicated self that is me.

Highly recommend this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Perspective on Human Behaviour

The book had a slow start. Some portions were more interesting and insightful than others. I found the second half of the book more interesting than the first half.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Would have preferred more depth and perspectives

Fascinating topic but Burgis seems to want to talk about everything but mimetic desire. Every time he gets deeper into the subject of mimesis, Burgis digresses into Biblical allegory and examples from his work life rather than exploring mimetic desire through a wider lense in terms if its application to the lives of everyday people or deeper probing into the complexities of mimetic models. Last part of the book deals with largely idealistic and hard to implement prescriptive managerial advice that's alienating if you're not among the 1%.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A helpful eye opening book

I learned so much new information about myself and the human experience from this book. It happened to be mentioned in a favorite podcast at the right time and I'm so glad I checked it out. I found the stories supportive of the concepts and very interesting. The content seemed to jump around a bit, I find I understand books that are more linear. Overall I'm grateful for the knowledge.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!