The “Mattering Instinct”: Why Humans Need Purpose & How AI Changes Things

Princeton, NJ – A physicist once picked up Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, a slight philosopher, and moved her aside at a party to speak with a colleague. The incident, recounted by Goldstein, crystallized a fundamental question that drives her new book, The Mattering Instinct: why do humans so desperately need to experience significant?

Goldstein, a philosopher and novelist, argues that this drive isn’t a quirk of the human condition, but a deeply rooted evolutionary imperative. Her analysis begins with the second law of thermodynamics, which posits that systems naturally tend toward disorder. All living organisms, she explains, expend energy to resist this entropy – to survive. But humans, uniquely, also grapple with the awareness of their own mortality and the seeming randomness of existence, leading to a need to justify their place in the universe.

“We are, Goldstein asserts, ‘creatures of matter who long to matter,’” a phrase that encapsulates the central paradox of human existence, as detailed in a recent review in The Atlantic. This longing, she contends, isn’t about vanity, but about a fundamental need to create order out of chaos.

Goldstein identifies four primary ways people attempt to fulfill this “mattering instinct.” “Transcenders” find purpose through a connection to a higher power or spiritual belief. “Socializers” derive meaning from helping others and fostering relationships. “Heroic strivers” dedicate themselves to achieving excellence in a chosen field, be it intellectual, artistic, or athletic. And finally, “competitors” seek significance through dominance and surpassing others.

The concept of a “mattering map,” outlining these four categories, has resonated beyond academic circles. As noted in a recent advice column, the map can be a useful tool for individuals grappling with the potential displacement of their jobs by artificial intelligence. By identifying their primary “mattering island,” individuals can explore alternative avenues for finding purpose and fulfillment in a rapidly changing world.

Goldstein believes that even if AI takes over tasks that currently provide meaning, humans will inevitably find new ways to matter. “When one is not able to minister to this, to appease this [mattering instinct], you end up with death within life, which is what extreme chronic depression is,” she said. “So we will come up with something.”

While acknowledging the potential for AI to automate “shit work” in fields like philosophy, Goldstein remains optimistic that uniquely human qualities – the ability to grapple with ethical dilemmas and navigate the complexities of the human experience – will remain beyond the reach of artificial intelligence. “The deepest questions, they’re still going to belong to us,” she stated.

Goldstein’s work suggests that the search for meaning is not a luxury, but a fundamental human drive. She frames humanity as “dust with dignity,” a species compelled to justify its own existence. The question of how that justification will be found, particularly in an age of increasing automation, remains open.

The philosopher, who once considered a career working with children or studying animals in Africa as alternative paths to fulfillment, suggests that there is no single answer. But she emphasizes the importance of recognizing and nurturing the innate human need to matter, a need that, she argues, is as essential to our survival as the instinct to breathe.