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: Coercion, Conformity, and the Courage for Truth (expected early 2026), 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 “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 April 2023.

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