Luke Burgis Newsletter (private feed for rowanjkunz@gmail.com)

Girard, Race, and Cultural Desire

After reading Girard for nearly ten years, I found myself continually surprised to see how little his theory came into play in conversations about race and race relations—even though it seemed like Girard’s ideas would add critical insights to those conversations. I was never sure why.Is it because Girard is a white French academic? Because his theory is too obscure? Or because mimetic theory really isn’t helpful in explaining the concrete realities faced by black Americans because it’s too abstract, for example? It’s a question I wasn’t willing to leave unsettled, or at least not willing to begin exploring. But I knew I couldn’t do it alone. My friend Dr. Hollis Robbins and I had a conversation back in early 2021 in which she planted the seed in my head that it would be a good idea to try to bring the right people together to kick off this conversation. After months of hard work, it all came together at NOVITATE—a conference which I hosted in DC last month. The full video from that plenary session on race and cultural desire can be viewed here, as well as a Substack produced, AI-generated transcript (I have no idea how good it is—please do let me know if it’s terrible, though.) I’ll be sharing more of the videos from the conference in this newsletter for paying subscribers in the weeks and months ahead. Tomorrow I head to Michigan for a week where I’m going to pull out a pen and paper and begin writing the first words of my next book, which I look forward to sharing much more about. I am also going to find a way to share the journey of writing this new book—as well as some of its content—with paid subscribers. I think it’ll be a mutually enriching process. I hope you’ll come along on the journey with me. It’s a more ambitious book than Wanting, which pains me even to write. But it’s one that must be written. You will soon know why.I have to keep this one short because I’m writing it after having woken up early and sneaking away from family time on this Second day of Christmas, and now I find myself in a Starbucks in Pennington, NJ while kids at still back at the house learning how to set-up their new toys. I need to get back into the game. It’s been a hell of a year. I’m going to write some year-end reflections which I plan to share on either Dec. 31st or Jan. 1st. In the meantime, wishing you all a wonderful nightcap to 2023. Thank you again for being here. Best,Luke This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.lukeburgis.com/subscribe

Free Speech, Censorship, and the New Media

This is the first full piece of video content released from last month’s NOVITĀTE conference, which I hosted on November 3, 2023, in Washington, DCThis conversation, titled “EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING: The New Media Landscape”, featured author , Substack Co-Founder , and Renée DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory. It was moderated by New York Times columnist Ross Douthat.This was a conversation that needed to happen. A key issue of contention was whether or not media companies can “manage” mimesis effectively—and whether they should be in the business of trying to do so at all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.lukeburgis.com/subscribe

In Defense of Minor Obsessions

It sometimes comes upon a man a stroke of insight, the full realization that he must fulfill a noble task which others may regard as silly or insignificant, such as braving a trip alone to a Washington, DC, Whole Foods at 5pm (if hell exists…) to buy sour cream for the chili he has just made, which he refuses to serve to his family without.You, dear reader, surely have those small things which you refuse to compromise or concede. Don’t you?I have many. Yes, you might chalk it up to my neuroticism or perfectionism. But I wouldn’t do these things if I didn’t believe that I was, at some level, saving the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.lukeburgis.com/subscribe

The Scandal of Financial Nihilism

“It is because you don't know the end and purpose of things that you think the wicked and the criminal have power and happiness.” — Boethius, On the Consolation of PhilosophyNobody has a precise idea how much wealth anyone else has. There is a good chance that you don’t even know your own. We are all engaged in an elaborate game of assumptions, even about our own future.The fact that men are posting gain and loss porn on Reddit is not a sign of transparency, but opacity. The narratives only go skin deep.Beneath the narratives, people are silently crying out for order—a link between cause and effect, or some indication that hard work still matters, or the assurance that they will be rewarded for good decisions and not for reckless ones. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.lukeburgis.com/subscribe

Group Learning Experience—Next Steps (Plus: An Audio Essay)

Hi everyone, In this short edition of the newsletter, I have two important announcements:Audio Essay on “The Conscience”Upon request, I recorded an audio version of my last newsletter (Don’t Feed Your Conscience to the Dogs), which you can find here. I don’t have a general grasp on how many of you would prefer to listen to my work rather than read it, but I figured I would offer a podcast version of the last newsletter and see what happens. If I receive enough positive feedback, I’ll find a way to attach an audio version to the written works on a more regular basis. (An AI company has approached me and offered to convert this newsletter to audio on the fly, but I’m not sure if the quality is good enough; this time, I read it for you myself...)Please express your interest in the comments or drop me a line via email. Group Learning Opportunity—Next StepsIf you’re interested in the small group learning track that I have mentioned a couple of times now, please fill out this short questionnaire as soon as possible.In this newsletter and on the Core Motivation Webinar that I hosted last month with Dr. Joshua Miller, I floated the possibility of leading a 30-90 day small group learning course (virtual) for anyone interested. I had in mind a relatively intensive and interactive program in which you’d have the chance to work through questions and projects related to mimetic desire, models, thick and thin desires, leadership, mimetic influences (on both undesired and desired behaviors), professional transitions, technology relationships, mimetic relationship management (setting boundaries and generating positive flywheels), and a greater clarity of one’s purpose. It would be a highly personal exploration of many of the topics you are used to seeing here. I would bring in guest speakers and facilitators, but the program design and leadership I would do myself. The experience that I have in mine would be less about lectures or heady book-club discussion and more about small-group interaction and project-based learning with real-world and real-life application. For instance, every week you would have a fundamental question to explore or a project to work through with the support of your small group—as well as guidance from me and the other facilitators.One thing I am sure about: you all an extremely talented, generous, thoughtful, and dedicated group, and we all have much to learn from one another. The quality of the people here became readily apparent on the MCODE zoom with Dr. Miller, which was attended by over 50 of you. I am confident, then, the small-group format is the ideal way to work your way through the learning course. But first, I need your help.If you’re interested in participating, would you please complete this Questionnaire? Your feedback will help me with questions ranging from what kind of help I need to bring in to when we should start to what most people are really looking for from this kind of experience. Your feedback will be read carefully by me as I begin to think about the best way to make this experience a reality.So far, I have received an overwhelmingly positive response. 42 of you have already personally emailed me to express interest in participating. Thank you for that. The next phrase of this process for me is gathering more information so I can tailor this experience to your needs (and desires…). There will be a cap on enrollment for this first group. I can’t imagine being able to run it well with more than 50 participants on the first go-around. In a sense, we’ll all be learning together. If it goes well, though (and if there is sufficient interest), I will continue to offer it throughout the year on a rolling basis. So if you miss out this time, there should be more opportunities down the road. I have to ask for skin-in-the-game (in the form of $USD/ETH/BTC) from everyone who participates, especially if I am going to bring in the necessary resources to do this right. The opportunity will be open to all subscribers, but Premium Members will receive a very sizable discount on tuition.Thanks everyone—especially those of you who have already reached out. I hope to see you at the starting line soon. P.S. If anyone would like to volunteer their time/talent as a facilitator—and possibly be part of the planning team for this first cohort, please reach out to me separately. Professional facilitator/teaching experience strongly desired. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.lukeburgis.com/subscribe