Purpose is an imperative for all.
For a century we turned people into machines. Now we are making machines more human, and our humanity is what matters most. Purpose is how we build on it, and in the age of AI it is an existential imperative for all of us.
The Center
The Center maps the field of purpose, connects the work, and helps us make sense of it.
Purpose is no longer a pursuit for the few, a challenge faced by the lost, or a journey sought by the enlightened. Purpose is an imperative for all.
Purpose is studied, taught, and funded in more places than any of us can follow. The Center gathers that work in one place: what we know, who built it, how it is taught, and how we can use it.
An imperative for all has to reach all of us. So wherever we are in the journey, the Center is a place to start: to explore purpose, to build our own, and to keep growing into it. Here is where that begins.
Explore Purpose
Purpose is built. Here are four ways in.
Each doorway meets a different need. We start wherever we are, and go from there.
SEE HOW IT IS TAUGHT
The Syllabus
A map of how purpose is taught, studied, and funded. 41 courses, research centers, and funders.
See the syllabus →MEET THE PEOPLE IT IS BUILT ON
The Thinkers
The people the study of purpose is built on. 62 of them.
Meet the thinkers →MEET US WHERE WE ARE
The Purpose Radar
A living map of the books, podcasts, and works that shape how we understand purpose, across six dimensions. We come as we are and find what speaks to us now.
Explore the library →GO ON OUR OWN JOURNEY
Making Sense of Purpose
The method for building purpose from the inside out. We make sense of ourselves first, and our purpose follows.
Read the book →What We Know
The role of purpose is well established.
Purpose as a force for human progress is already proven. Here is that evidence, in brief.
Gives us direction
Tie a goal to a plan, and we reach it far more often.
Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006
Connects us
people studied. A stronger sense of purpose meant less loneliness.
Sutin et al., 2022
Makes us resilient
recovery from hard emotional moments, measured in the body.
Schaefer et al., 2013
Helps us live
people studied. Higher purpose was tied to a longer life.
Cohen et al., 2016
A human need
professionals would trade income for more meaningful work, about 23% of lifetime earnings.
Achor et al., 2018
The Case
Purpose has always mattered. In the age of AI, it is an existential imperative and our greatest hope.
Making the Case for Purpose
The case has been presented for discussion. The Center is where we explore it together.
Read the full argument →See where you are.
Two questions, about thirty seconds. We meet you where you are, and point you to a good place to begin.
Questions
Purpose, in plain terms
A few of the questions we hear most, answered simply.
What is The Center for Purpose?
The Center for Purpose is a home for the work of purpose. It gathers the research, the book, the tools, and the teaching in one place, so any of us can explore purpose and build our own. Purpose is an imperative for all.
What is purpose?
Purpose has three parts. It is personal, built from the inside out. It is forward looking, pulling us toward what is next. And it reaches beyond ourselves, to people and impact past the self.
How do we find and build purpose?
Purpose is built, and it starts with knowing ourselves. Making Sense of Purpose is the method for building it from the inside out. The Purpose Radar Library helps us explore what serves it, and The Syllabus maps how it is taught.
What is the case for purpose in the age of AI?
For a century we turned people into machines. Now we are making machines more human, and our humanity is what matters most. As AI takes the mechanical work, purpose becomes the work that is ours. Purpose has always mattered. In the age of AI, it is an existential imperative for all of us.
Why does purpose matter more now?
AI is taking the mechanical, repeatable work many of us could hide behind. What machines reach last is what is most human: empathy, presence, and judgment, and the meaning we make. Purpose is how we grow into that space. It is our edge, and our greatest hope.
What does the research say about purpose?
Purpose is one of the most studied forces in human progress. Across 135,227 people, more purpose meant less loneliness. Across roughly 136,000, higher purpose was tied to a longer life. In one survey, 9 in 10 professionals would trade income for more meaningful work.