Why Do Founders Love René Girard? - Johnathan Bi

Jonathan Bi is a startup founder, philosopher and mathematician. René Girard is one of the most popular philosophers in Silicon Valley. Why is it that an obscure French polymath from the 1900's would become one of the most influential and cited thinkers amongst founders, CEOs and leaders in high-growth companies? Expect to learn how Girard believes that mimetic desire drives almost all of our behaviour, why breaking out from the group to do your own thing doesn't mean you're an individual, how having sex can end up not being for the enjoyment of sex, why Peter Thiel and so many others love Girard's work, how understanding Girard can improve your daily life and much more... Sponsors: Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Get 20% discount on Diet Smoke’s legal THC Gummies at https://www.dietsmoke.com/ (use code: MW20) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Watch Jonathan's Girard lecture series here - https://youtu.be/5Qu6vBebwwg Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #renégirard #mimetictheory #peterthiel - 00:00 Intro 01:32 Who is René Girard? 08:26 Divergence From the Group 18:18 What Drew Jonathan to Girard 28:06 Is Mimesis Falsifiable? 31:01 Accepting Human Fallibility 38:02 Applying Girardian Theory in Life 44:00 What Do You Want To Want? 52:39 Girard on Pride & Arrogance 1:07:18 Main Takeaways from Girard 1:08:45 Where to Find Jonathan - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Jonathan BiguestChris Williamsonhost

May 28, 20221h 9mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 28, 2022
Duration: 1h 9m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jonathan Bi is a startup founder, philosopher and mathematician. René Girard is one of the most popular philosophers in Silicon Valley. Why is it that an obscure French polymath from the 1900's would become one of the most influential and cited thinkers amongst founders, CEOs and leaders in high-growth companies? Expect to learn how Girard believes that mimetic desire drives almost all of our behaviour, why breaking out from the group to do your own thing doesn't mean you're an individual, how having sex can end up not being for the enjoyment of sex, why Peter Thiel and so many others love Girard's work, how understanding Girard can improve your daily life and much more... Sponsors: Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Get 20% discount on Diet Smoke’s legal THC Gummies at https://www.dietsmoke.com/ (use code: MW20) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Watch Jonathan's Girard lecture series here - https://youtu.be/5Qu6vBebwwg Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #renégirard #mimetictheory #peterthiel - 00:00 Intro 01:32 Who is René Girard? 08:26 Divergence From the Group 18:18 What Drew Jonathan to Girard 28:06 Is Mimesis Falsifiable? 31:01 Accepting Human Fallibility 38:02 Applying Girardian Theory in Life 44:00 What Do You Want To Want? 52:39 Girard on Pride & Arrogance 1:07:18 Main Takeaways from Girard 1:08:45 Where to Find Jonathan - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Jonathan Bi
guest
Chris Williamson
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Jonathan Bi and Chris Williamson, Why Do Founders Love René Girard? - Johnathan Bi explores how René Girard Explains Desire, Status, and Founder Obsession Today Jonathan Bi explains René Girard’s core idea that most human desire is ‘metaphysical’—we want things less for their intrinsic qualities and more for what they say about our being and status. This desire operates through mimesis: we copy or invert the desires of models we perceive as higher or lower status, which can both align us with and separate us from groups. Bi and Chris Williamson explore how this shapes romance, nightlife, consumer behavior, politics, startups, and even geopolitical tensions like U.S.–China relations. They conclude that while metaphysical desire is often personally corrosive, understanding it lets you design your environment, lean more on intrinsic motives, and use social forces more intelligently rather than being unconsciously ruled by them.

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