Hi, I’m Luke.

I’m the author of the bestselling book WANTING: The Power of Mimetic of Desire in Everyday Life—a book about why people want what they want, which has been translated into more than 23 languages—and the forthcoming THE ONE AND THE NINTY-NINE (expected late 2025), a fresh look at the relationship between individuals and groups.

I’ve been writing here on Substack since 2019, when I launched this newsletter under the name “Anti-Mimetic”. It has evolved into a place where I write essays, both short and long-form, that combine philosophy, religious wisdom, perspectives on business and technology, and practical ideas for living a good life in what feels like an increasingly shallow and hollowed out world. To that end, you’ll frequently see my reflections here about things like thick desires as opposed to thin desires—the stable, enduring, and ultimately more fulfilling desire to pursue against the barrage of petty ones on offer to us, and how to know the difference.

I’m a veteran entrepreneur who, after attending NYU Stern and making my way through Wall Street and the start-up world of Silicon Valley, realized that something was missing. I desired something that transcended the world of work and life as I knew it, but I was trapped playing glass bead games.

I wanted to understand human desire—most of all my own—and how we can go about building companies and families and schools and lives on solid rock. I immersed myself in philosophy, theology, and classical literature. I lived in Italy for several years. I began to learn how to invest my time, effort, and love in the people and things that truly matter. This newsletter is about some of the things I’ve learned, and still learning. I’m glad you’re here.
Luke

Anti-Mimetic was a featured newsletter on Substack Reads in both 2023 and 2024, where my essay “A Bull Market in the Humanities” was recommended as one of the best pieces of the week.

What You can Expect

I care about every reader, and I strive to make this a place where serious people who care about leading more fulfilling lives can find a place of refreshment and rest—a more human space, where human relationships are taken seriously and never subordinated to the mechanisms of our age.

For My Free Subscribers:

Free subscribers will receive my regular monthly essays and are welcome to join the Open Chat thread.

For my Paid Subscribers:

As a paid subscriber, you are joining a community of like-minded individuals. You will have full access to the archives, the ability to comment, access to our community on Mighty Networks (check your welcome email), and access to my interviews, monthly salons, The Digestivi (weekly round-ups that I publish from time to time), and video recordings of events that I’ve hosted (such as the 2023 Novitate Conference), as well as invites to special events both virtual and in person.

Patrons:

 Patron members will also receive VIP Event invites and calls.