The Mimetic Trap

We learn from mimicking others, we must choose wisely what and who we imitate

This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 2: The Mimetic Intelligence Trap is here

One of my fondest intellectual discussions was a private lecture at Stanford University in the mid 2000s. The lecturer, an unassuming professor with a mind spanning centuries of art and conflict, exuded a quiet charisma. “We do not know what to desire,” he began, “so we imitate the desires of others.” This statement, deceptively simple, outlines the “hidden forces shaping human behavior.”

René Girard regaled the small group I was in with sweeping stories of history, weaving together the works of The Bible, Proust, Dostoevsky, Cervantes, Flaubert, and Stendhal. He spoke of religion, the crucifixion, and pivotal moments in history, crafting a grand narrative of human behavior. Over a few days, and twelve hours, of his lectures, I glimpsed Girard the scholar, the mentor, the philosopher, and, at times, the quiet prophet. He revealed to the small group that mimetic theory is not simply an academic tool but the fundamental mechanism of human development.

Writing in their book on his accession into the L'Académie Française, For Rene Girard: Essays in Friendship and Truth the authors dubbed Girard as ‘the new Darwin of the human sciences.’

So what is mimetic theory and Mimesis and why should we care to learn about this intellectual French answer to Darwin?

In the late 16th century, the Italian polymath Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for ideas that threatened the prevailing orthodoxies of his time. Among his heresies was the belief in an infinite universe, teeming with worlds like our own. Bruno’s vision was a radical challenge to conformity, he did not mimic what others believed. The world punishes those who dare to think differently, yet, the very ideas once condemned often become the bedrock of the future. This paradox is at the heart of René Girard’s memetic theory, which reveals the mechanisms that shape societies, businesses, and conflicts.

Girard’s insight, that human desire is fundamentally imitative, has profound implications for understanding power, technology, and the trajectory of civilization.

Imitation

We like to believe our desires are uniquely our own, formed from an inner wellspring of autonomy. Girard, however, upended this assumption. He demonstrated that human desire is inherently mimetic, we do not desire independently but rather by imitating the desires of others. This invisible mechanism structures social interactions, economic systems, and even conflicts. His biographer Cynthia L. Haven has written:

“Mimesis is how we learn to eat and talk, the root of our ambitions, the fuel for our unquenchable longings and tormented romantic triangles.”

In Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard, Cynthia Haven devotes meticulous attention to the personal dimension of Girard’s theory, peeling back layers of biography to reveal the roots of his ideas. Girard’s life was marked by conflict, his youth in war-torn France, his intellectual skirmishes in American academia, and his constant interrogation of the illusions we tell ourselves.

He saw the currents of hidden desire, scapegoating, judgment and jealousy, that course through society and recognized they could surge into destructive torrents at any moment.

“If we are doomed to imitation, the question is not whether we will imitate, but whom we choose to follow,” Girard famously pointed out.

Think back to the 2008 financial crisis which was, in part, driven by mimetic desire. Banks and investors, watching their competitors profit from risky mortgage-backed securities, imitated their strategies without fully managing the risks. However, beyond mere imitation, these institutions found themselves trapped in an escalating cycle where failure to imitate meant being left behind. The same phenomenon occurs in politics. In the U.S. presidential primaries, candidates start with distinct messages, but as frontrunners emerge, rivals mimic their rhetoric, intensifying divisions and leading to political polarization. The very act of imitation, meant to garner success, instead fuels conflict.

This epitomizes the paradox that sits at the heart of his thought, we cannot simply opt out of the imitative impulse that shapes us from infancy. We learn language, social norms, and even moral precepts by mimicking others. It is an integral part of being human. Yet, in that very aptitude for imitation lies the seed of conflict, and perhaps the seed of redemption. While we cannot quell the power of mimetic desire, we might redirect it. If we model ourselves on those who seek peace rather than on those who lust for power, if we desire empathy rather than enmity, perhaps we can chart a new path forward.

The Digital Age

The entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel, who was the first major investor into Facebook, was a former Stanford student and friend of Rene Girard. At Facebook Thiel instigated the concept of mimetic desire. For 10 years Facebook received positive press with its revenue growth in the tens of billions of dollars and a few billion global users, as people raced to show their lives to others in a mimetic fashion. Then came Cambridge Analytica and the 2016 Presidential election with alleged foreign influence and suddenly Facebook was the perpetrator of ill and the scapegoat.

Platforms like Twitter / X and Facebook operate as perfect laboratories of mimetic desire, where social media accelerates and amplifies mimetic desire to an unprecedented degree. Instagram and TikTok fuel cycles of want, envy and dissatisfaction with curated images of success, beauty, and wealth. The “influencer economy” thrives on mimetic patterns, where individuals curate idealized versions of their lives, which, in turn, generate aspirations in their followers. As these desires multiply into mimetic contagion, already latent within human nature, so too does the pressure to conform, leading to everything from financial overextension to mental health crises.

However, just as mimesis fuels division, it can also be redirected toward unification. Platforms that promote healthy role models, such as those encouraging skill development or community engagement, can harness mimesis for societal good.

Thoughtful leadership in media and technology must prioritize designing systems that encourage meaningful engagement rather than reactive antagonism.

Forces for Good

Understanding mimetic desire allows us to transform it into a tool for good. We should learn from the cautionary tales in Quixote’s madness, in Bovary’s illusions, in the cunning schemes of Stendhal’s social climbers, and above all, heed the historical cacophony of crowds demanding blood. There is a wisdom in these stories that stretches beyond the written page and into the fiber of our collective being. We may still choose our heroes, and we may still choose our scapegoats, yet armed with knowledge, we might weigh these choices more carefully.

Business leaders, social innovators, and policymakers can use Girardian insights to foster positive imitation rather than destructive rivalry. For example Netflix and Blockbuster, initially, Blockbuster attempted to compete by mimicking Netflix’s online model without truly innovating. Meanwhile, Netflix evolved, shifting to streaming and eventually producing original content, setting a model for sustainable innovation. Of course, Netflix’s success was not solely due to avoiding mimetic traps, technological advancements and shifting consumer preferences played a role. However, its ability to carve out a unique vision rather than merely react to competitors ensured its position.

Similarly, in society, recognizing the scapegoating mechanism, the dark underbelly of mimetic rivalry, enables us to break cycles of violence. Cancel culture, for example, often follows a mimetic pattern where an initial outrage snowballs into widespread condemnation. While some call-outs are justified, others escalate into disproportionate social punishment. The key to breaking this cycle lies in fostering dialogue rather than expulsion, shifting from rivalry to reconciliation.

Freedom in a Mimetic World

One of the great outcomes of Girard’s theory is that true autonomy comes not from rejecting imitation but from choosing our models wisely. Freedom is not the absence of influence but the conscious selection of who we imitate. Just as great artists apprentice under masters before developing their own voice, societies must cultivate models of aspiration that lead to collective flourishing.

This path forward is neither simple nor easy. It requires awareness of the invisible forces shaping our desires and a commitment to fostering healthier forms of imitation. We can, as individuals and societies, learn to use the mimetic trap, transforming its potential from a source of rivalry into a foundation for innovation, cooperation, and peace.

A Glimmer of Hope

Girard’s work is often misunderstood as bleak, a relentless dissection of humanity’s cycles of violence and conflict. Yet, embedded within his writing and teaching is an implicit call to action. If we understand the mechanisms that drive us toward rivalry, we can choose to redirect them toward something greater.

Historical periods of intense competition have given way to new paradigms. The Renaissance emerged from the rivalries of Italian city-states, but through cultural patronage, competition transformed into artistic and intellectual flourishing. What would a modern equivalent look like? We have right here, with Substack, a social media platform that rewards creativity over controversy, we have businesses that innovate for the long term rather than reactively chasing rivals. We need politics which shifts from mimicry and attack to dialogue and substance. This vision may seem idealistic, but the alternative, endless cycles of conflict, proves far bleaker.

Mimetic theory offers a way forward. Not through rejection of imitation, but through its refinement. Not through another scapegoat, but through the recognition that the cycle must end with us.

Only then can we break free from the unseen forces that bind us, forging a future shaped by intention rather than imitation.

Stay curious

Colin

This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 2: The Mimetic Intelligence Trap is here

Recommended reading:

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by Rene Girard

All Desire is a Desire for Being by Rene Girard

For Rene Girard: Essays in Friendship and Truth by Sandor Goodhart, Jørgen Jørgensen, Tom Ryba, James Williams

Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard, by Cynthia L. Haven

Video - Things Hidden: The Life and Legacy of René Girard | Full Length Documentary