I’ve written previously about mimesis in a three-part series - here are the links to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
Today’s post is a guest post by Mahmoud Rasmi and is a reflection on René Girard's mimetic desire theory, its pull on Silicon Valley founders like Peter Thiel, and the tension it creates around choice and autonomy.
This was the topic of last weekend’s Tech Leaders Salon conversation (> 2 hours) as well.
The Question of Desire
Why do we want the things that we want? According to the French philosopher and anthropologist René Girard, it's because deep down, we strive to imitate others, to become like them. Our desires are fundamentally imitative. While they may seem as though they stem from an inner conviction (for instance, because we truly like cars), or from a particular attraction to the desired object (that Ferrari model is just irresistible), in reality, they are developed through our aspiration to be like other people we take as models, including our parents, friends, colleagues, celebrities, and even fictional heroes we encounter in novels and movies.
The drive to imitate others is what he calls mimetic desire. Girard spent his academic career grappling with this concept, analyzing the significance of mimesis and the problems it brings about in society, including rivalry, violence, and a scapegoating mechanism when rivalries become too heated.
His influence spilled over into the marketplace and found particular interest among entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. One notable figure influenced by his ideas is venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who took courses with him during his undergraduate studies in philosophy. One question I'd like to explore in what follows is why mimesis resonated with VCs, entrepreneurs, and, more particularly, the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
To do that, I'll briefly examine Girard's account of mimesis, the instability it causes, and the redemptive solution he offers. Then, I'll look more closely at how these ideas circulated in Silicon Valley and why mimetic theory gained popularity in the entrepreneurial world, inspiring figures such as Thiel. My goal is to surface some of the tensions that arise between the theory itself and its reception among entrepreneurs.
The Triangle of Desire
According to Girard, desire is relational. It is triangular by nature, not a straight line that links the subject and object directly together, but rather a triadic structure of sorts. In addition to the subject and the object of desire, there's a third element that instigates mimetic desire in us.
This third element is a mediator, or a model. I desire a thing because my neighbor, friend, or colleague likes or has it. These models stand between me and the object. Pursuing the desired object can eventually create a rivalry between us, leading to competition and eventually violence.