Johnathan Bi — Girard, Desire, and Modernity (EP.116)

Johnathan Bi started out getting trained in Mathematics, and then eventually went on to study Philosophy and Computer Science at Columbia. He hosts a lecture series on René Girard’s Mimetic Theory and is also a founding member of Lonsdale Investment Technology. Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnathanBi Lecture series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qu6vBebwwg Website: https://johnathanbi.com/ Lonsdale Investment Technology: https://www.longterm.com/ Show Notes: Becoming pessimistic with age Humiliation always comes back to bite you How Jonathan got introduced to Buddhism and Girard Why Jonathan left academia The driving human emotion Has modernity ignored the “spirit”? Girard’s apocalyptic predictions Wild, wild west of capitalism The mystery with the discovery of the skull What does eugenics say about science? Science becoming dictatorial Buddhism figuring out the inner telescope Physical vs. metaphysical desires Mimesis in asset valuation Price to magic ratio Nietzsche's will of power Is delusion bad? Can internet lead to greater violence? “The Buddhist Solution” Girard—A rescuer of spirit And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Status Game; by Will Storr The Struggle for Recognition; by Axel Honneth Sapiens; by Yuval Noah Harari The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr The Origin of Species; Charles Darwin Untimely Meditations; by Friedrich Nietzsche