The machine cannot be our mirror. — The essay below, Imitatio Machina, is being re-published with permission. It originally appeared at Return.Life. I spent nearly five years seriously discerning a religious vocation, several of them in Italy. One year I went on a retreat at a monastery in Umbria, where I got to know the abbot during…

What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem — and what do either have to do with Silicon Valley? — I’ve just written this essay for the Ideas section of WIRED Magazine titled: “THE THREE CITY PROBLEM OF MODERN LIFE: What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem — and what do either have to do with Silicon Valley?” It is about my belief that the world is clustering into at least three different groups, each one with its own epistemic and metaphysical presuppositions. This makes it extremely difficult — some think impossible — to co-exist…

On human desire, external authority, an the anti-mimetic act of obedience — Our desires are not our identity. Believing that they are — believing that if we desire something that it is therefore “who we are” — is a sickness of modernity that I believe stems from a false notion of freedom. I have wanted many things in my life that I…

From Socrates to the Present Day, Those Who Know That They Don’t Know Possess a Type of Freedom That Is Rare The Oracle at Delphi told Socrates that he was wisest man in Athens because he alone had the wisdom to admit that he did not know things rather than…

Are you a visual learner? This immersive, 53-minute experience brings the text to life — I’m excited to announce that, in partnership with LIT Video Books, the new videobook of Wanting—my book about why people want the things theyd want, drawing on the mimetic theory of the famous social theorist René Girard—is out now. The videobook is a 53-minute production narrated by me and a…

Are they a ritualistic status game or a gathering place for people interested in learning and meeting others? — This past week, interest has piqued around the idea of “life as game” — namely, life as a giant game of status and recognition. A depressing thought. Ezra Klein interviewed C. Thi Nguyen on his podcast (episode title: “A Philosophy of Games That Is Really a Philosophy of Life”). And…

The Orthodoxy of Heterodoxy—or what the social theorist René Girard has to teach us about the clustering of ideas, even from those who style themselves independent. — Even heterodox thinkers have become predictable in their heterodoxy. There are exclusive clubs to join, like the Heterodox Academy or the Heriticon conference. And one can embark on a particular podcast circuit that is likely to get them branded as a member of the “Intellectual Dark Web.” There is an…

The Seeds of Mark Manson’s Discontent, and a Paradigm for Understanding Desire in a More Comprehensive Way — Yesterday, during a solo dinner at my favorite restaurant in Saugatuck, I read this piece by Benjamin Wallace in NY Mag’s Intelligencer profiling Mark Manson, author of the “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” book, which has sold more than 12 million copies. The essay, titled “How Mark…

Gain spiritual insight by understanding which direction a person tells you they’re moving in—including yourself. — Desire Is Movement I’ve been reading a lot of Augustine recently, partly as research for a (potential) new book project. I was struck to find that, in his Confessions, Augustine describes the period just prior to his conversion experience as one in which mimetic models of desire were the main catalyst.