Rebecca Newberger Goldstein on The Mattering Instinct
From Closer To Truth by Closer To Truth
April 29, 2026 · 35 min · Episode 244
About this episode
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein discusses the concept of the 'mattering instinct' and its implications for human significance.
Philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein introduces the idea of the “mattering instinct”—the deep human drive to see our lives as significant. In this conversation, she explores how our longing to matter may arise from the very material reality we often try to transcend. Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is an award-winning philosopher, writer, and public intellectual. She is the author of 10 books of acclaimed fiction and non-fiction — including 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, Betraying Spinoza, and her landmark new work The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us. She holds a PhD in philosophy of science from Princeton University and has taught at Yale, Columbia, NYU, Dartmouth, and Harvard. She is a MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the 2014 National Humanities Medal, presented by President Obama in 2015. Get access to over 5,000 videos by signing up for a free Closer To Truth membership: https://closertotruth.com/register/
People in this episode
Host: Closer To Truth
Guest: Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
Topics covered
- philosophy
- human significance
- mattering instinct
- material reality
- longing to matter
Keywords
- mattering instinct
- human drive
- philosophy
- significance
- Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Princeton University, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Dartmouth, Harvard, MacArthur Fellowship, National Humanities Medal
Books & works: The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us, 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, Betraying Spinoza
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