Wanting book club questions

1. 1.

   Burgis argues that most of what we want is borrowed from models. Can you identify a recent desire of yours that might be mimetic rather than intrinsic?

2. 2.

   Who are the two or three most influential 'models' in your life right now? How much of what you're pursuing can be traced back to them?

3. 3.

   Have you experienced mimetic rivalry — competing intensely with someone who wanted the same thing not because of the thing's intrinsic value, but because of shared proximity to a model?

4. 4.

   Burgis distinguishes thick from thin desires. Which of your current goals feel thick, and which might actually be thin on closer examination?

5. 5.

   How has social media changed the range of what you want? Are the things you desire now more or less similar to what your peer group desires?

6. 6.

   Girard argues that all human conflict originates in mimetic desire. Does that feel like an overstatement, or does it explain patterns you've seen in your own relationships?

7. 7.

   What would it mean to escape your current mimetic environment? What models would you need to add or remove from your life?

8. 8.

   Burgis writes about 'anti-models' — people we define ourselves against. Who are yours, and are you sure you're not actually still mimetically entangled with them?

9. 9.

   Financial markets are one of Burgis's key examples. Can you think of an investment, purchase, or career move you made primarily because of mimetic pressure rather than genuine analysis?

10. 10.

    What would your career look like if you had grown up in a completely different social environment, with different models? How different do you think it would be?

11. 11.

    Girard spent decades trying to understand sacred violence and the scapegoat mechanism. Does his theory of mimetic rivalry help explain any recent public events you've watched?

12. 12.

    Burgis ends with the idea of pursuing 'being' over 'having.' What does that distinction mean to you in your actual life, not as a philosophical abstraction?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.