Discussing the Future of Humans & Work
Every new step in our technological journey offers us the potential to evolve together, reshaping humanity’s understanding of itself
This essay touches on multiple points regarding AI’s effect on the human condition and society at large. It is meant to be read with an open mind. Any solution to a problem that I lay out should be received prima facie, and the reader should be willing to build upon my points and come up with their own resolutions to the problems they feel they are best positioned to answer.
Our Present Circumstance
Today, we face a growing pandemic of social health crises rooted in the absence of real-world connections. The notion that more technology would enhance mental well-being now feels tragically ironic. Social media, once heralded as a tool to bring us closer, has instead driven us apart, fostering not social cohesion but anti-social behavior.
It has severed the physical ties that once grounded us to one another, complicating relationships as more of our lives unfold in the digital void. Floating aimlessly “in the cloud,” we have lost touch with the tangible world that nurtures us. This detachment from our origins is leaving us unmoored and unwell.
Steve Rose, PhD, expressed it like this, “Unfortunately, as social media use increases, we are becoming lonelier”. The technology designed to bring us closer has become a crutch in our ability to be empathetic towards others, thwarting our desire/ability to build strong relationships in the real world.
The answer isn’t in abandoning technology, nor is it in absolute submission to it. The answer will be found somewhere in the middle. You will find the middle-path is what I attempt to bring forth and illuminate in the pages below.
Background of humans’ relationship to work and how it has evolved to the present day
The relationship between humans and technology has evolved dramatically compared to earlier times, when new tools were integrated slowly. Each innovation solved problems, but also created new sociological challenges. With growing economic forces came new industries: fostering a dynamic, forward-looking society.
Now, technological progression is far more rapid, reshaping not just our work but the very core of human existence. What once was gradual is now a dynamic force that continuously redefines how we live, interact with, and understand the world.
Over the last 300 years, technology’s rapid advancement has profoundly transformed the types of work people engage in. The First Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s brought mechanized factory work to the forefront. Workers once tied to their fields, spent long hours in factories, often in taxing and dangerous conditions.
Despite the hardships, this era provided purpose through the creation of tangible goods, infrastructure, and material progress. Labor, although taxing, was linked to the physical world where workers could tangibly experience the fruits of their labor in the objects and structures they built. There is a pleasure derived from interacting with the physical world and transforming useless materials into useful, beneficial goods for society.
The Second Industrial Revolution, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, introduced mass production powered by electricity, steel, and oil. Technologies like the telegraph, railroads, and assembly lines transformed communication and transportation. Factories expanded, creating unprecedented economic growth but also heightened social inequality, as workers became increasingly disconnected from the products of their labor, another cog in the machine, a number.
By the time we entered the Third Industrial Revolution, the nature of work had shifted drastically again. With the rise of computers and automation, we transitioned into an information economy. Work became increasingly centered around data and analysis: resulting in the abstract problem-solving world of “knowledge work.” While this shift brought about safer working environments and removed much of the physical strain, it introduced a new kind of monotony.
Many workers today find themselves in roles that, while intellectually demanding, are distant from the tangible realities of human experience.
Though today’s worker might breathe cleaner air and endure less physical exhaustion, there’s an undercurrent of something lost. The work is more disconnected, routine, and alienating: removing them from the natural rhythms and creative impulses that once reverberated through human life. In a world of rapid technological shifts, the task is not merely to adapt, but to reconnect with the deeper sense of purpose that work once provided.
With each technological leap, we create safer and more efficient jobs, but at the same time, we risk losing the sense of purpose and fulfillment that invigorates human life.
Exploring the current changes and what it could look like in the future if humans have less work and perhaps “less” external meaning
Now we find ourselves in the 4th Industrial Revolution, and its future implications unknown. The technologies we experience today are becoming so advanced that the plots of sci-fi films are becoming a reality.
The progression of these new technologies does not seem to be slowing down but advancing at such a rapid pace, that within our lifetime, we may find ourselves living in a world of AGI. Such a world would give humans even more free time, access to almost anything they wish, and an unlimited supply of ephemeral dopamine hits, making Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World somewhat of an underestimation.
Our current social order, economic governance, and labor markets will change to something that humans have yet to face. If work begins to become a smaller and smaller part of our lives, do people know where else they will find a purpose to fill their days? The danger isn’t the absence of vocations but that people will have lost the ability/will to cultivate them.
We have become accustomed to finding a need in society and adapting ourselves to fill that role, wherever our cog fits in the machine, that is where we go. But what if there’s no evident need, no unsolved puzzle, or no unlearned skill? When everything becomes automated, does the very essence of life start to feel hollow?
The great Nietzsche famously wrote, “man will sooner will nothingness than not will at all.”
If we lose our power to create, build, and move the world, it will not lead to better lives but will embitter the quenched spirit of every man walking the Earth that is no longer needed.
“He has become a destitute, his dream of adventure; only a figure of his imagination that he is unable to actualize, no longer to be lived out in the material world.”
What could meaning look like
What AI could look like in the future is unknown, with top AI researchers split between optimism (creative societies that flourish) and pessimism (1984 surveillance states so powerful that they could never be toppled).1
For the purpose of this essay, I am leaning on the side of optimism, where AGI creates a world of abundance and humans are able to choose how they are going to live out their lives. As technology accelerates, reshaping every facet of life, it’s crucial to think deeply about how humans will retain the ability to express emotions, speak their truths, and still pursue personal adventures and avenues for growth. In a world driven by innovation, we must find ways to preserve the core essence of human experience: our capacity for curiosity, connection, and self-discovery.
Balancing technological advancement with the human spirit will be key to thriving in this new landscape so that we do not lose what makes us uniquely human. Humans have a diverse and broad range of goals and desires that are unique to each individual. Without progression towards these goals or participation in fulfilling desires, the human lives in a depressed state that he represses by busying himself with a constant disarray of surface-level distractions, vices, and trivial pursuits.
For most of us, what I know from personal experience, it is not enough to live hedonistic lives where our meaning is found in successfully recording new dopamine highs. People have goals and ambitions; they want to show the world all that they can accomplish, and if they are not given the opportunity to do so, it can have a devastating effect on their morale.
People find meaning in their work as it reflects the impact they make, showing them that their contributions improve society and affirming their significance.
When meaning and purpose are lacking in work, people will turn to other substitutes to fill the void. These can include:
Social status — Seeking validation and importance through recognition from others.
Selfishness — Prioritizing personal gain over community or collaboration.
Materialism — Attempting to find satisfaction in possessions or wealth.
Distractions — Engaging in constant entertainment or activities to avoid confronting a lack of purpose.
Addictions — Turning to unhealthy habits to numb feelings of dissatisfaction or emptiness.
Conformity/Tribalism — Adopting societal norms to fit in rather than pursue individual purpose.
These often serve as temporary solutions, offering comfort but not true fulfillment.
A Ritual, Craftsman, & Community
Where meaning is not found and only depression resides is in the constant thinking of ourselves. How can I make myself happier? How can I make my fortune? What do they think about me? These thoughts put us at the center of the universe and make us out of touch with reality.
Meaning then is found through our curiosity and losing ourselves in the beauty and chaos of the external world. The external world is real and can provide tangible feedback and reveal information about who we are as humans and individual souls. It is by spending too much time in the realm of abstract ideas that we weaken our relationship with reality and suffer the lack of connection that follows.
Rituals serve to provide someone with a commitment they get to tend to daily. Rituals serve as a mechanism for living an intentional life, keeping the mind steady. The ritual yields meaning as it becomes a constant in the ever-changing circumstances of one’s life. When the mind and body become fragmented, the daily ritual works to reunify. When one has strayed from his path, the ritual serves as a compass to guide him back. It becomes an instrument to harmonize the body, mind, and soul into the eternal present.
The craftsman has a relationship with the material he works with. It is something he can understand, touch, feel, and smell. His focus and commitment to his craft grows him as an individual and teaches him about the world. It becomes a microcosm that connects him to the macrocosm. It grounds him and gives him control over the outcome. It becomes a part of him, and so he feels an intrinsic connection. It is not in his imagination but is real and gives his life meaning.
By involving oneself in a community, one is able to build an identity and a relationship with the people around them. The world becomes a place of friendly faces instead of a world full of strangers. One learns to take on responsibility within the community and align their values with others. Purpose is then found in making the community stronger, healthier, and more vibrant. Everyone is working towards the same goal, and progress is met with the meaning derived when living for other people. Nations are not built for the sake of one individual but for the unification and progress of all individuals.
What human enlightenment could look like in a world of AGI
Does the age of AGI mean less meaning in the world, or could it spark an abundance of meaning to be found through a plethora of diverse mediums? Since our awakening into our current consciousness, we have been the dominant species on this Earth, not due to our strength but due to our ability to think and solve problems. It is our intelligence that has driven our race to the peak echelon of life on Earth. We have now arrived at the point in time where we can cultivate or destroy all life on Earth. We are playing god and are in the preliminary stage of creating a new kind of life that will surpass us in both intelligence and ability.
Assuming that the AGI will be our friend and will take on many of our obligations, there is an unknown as to what human life will be like. How will we interact with each other, and what new forms of meaning will be discovered? Will we continue to live in bodily form, or will our very being be developed into something entirely new? Will this be good or bad for us? Will humans be able to go beyond our current conditions that plague us with vice, sickness, war, death, and so evolve into a higher consciousness that has been whispered in the past?
What is going to make us happy and content if we lose control of the world? This can be an absolutely great thing if it allows us to let go of our attachments and accept the next evolution of mankind, or it can evolve into a story of human vs. machine? As I write this, there are already strikes happening around the world to stop the automation of industries. Nothing new, as strikes against automation and progress have been going on for centuries, but the degree of automation this time seems to be utterly revolutionary with respect to human roles in the workplace.
That problem could be the answer to our questions. People have built their identity on material and social constructs that are not meant to last forever. So, when it is time to move on, how will people deal with and traverse the new landscape that is forming around them? Will everyone be able to come along for the ride or will some be left behind? And if some are left behind, is it our duty to still treat them with dignity and provide them the meaning that has been stripped away from them?
If we wait and have to answer these questions all at once it will be impossible to arrive at the solutions in time. This is why every person alive right now needs to begin participating in these conversations on every level. It begins with the individual and her duty to cultivate a philosophy and meaning that can bring joy to the act of living. Next, it is in our families and communities where we can come together and begin to plan out new social structures that will evolve and align with everyone’s interests.
Finally, we go to the country and global scale where we look at all of mankind and all beings on Earth. What would thriving look like for as many people as possible? How do we give freedom and safety to everyone on Earth? How do we ensure that people are educated about the different ways in which they can live a full life in a new world? Should we restart the clock, or do we count this as a linear continuation of history? To me, it seems so new that a restart is necessary to ensure that we can properly align ourselves with the coming age.
So what might aligning ourselves with the coming age look like? The Buddha taught us the middle way, and Jesus taught us how to be one with the Father. Our place is between heaven and Earth. We live both in the physical and the spiritual world. By focusing too much on one, we become unbalanced and stray from the higher path.
What form of landscape will provide people with the education, opportunities, and resources to live a life of both spiritual and material abundance?
Education: People think about education in many different ways. But the most common form today is not to teach people how to think but to teach them things to think about. The youth is taught to think like a machine, but when machines perfect this form of thinking, what will humans think about? This conundrum has to be solved with a new paradigm for educating the youth, and in that regard, everyone.
Instead of basic education, I propose we create curated education to meet the interests and vocations of every individual. We lower the hurdle to gaining new skills and spark passion in each and every individual. We create centers of art, recreation, and play for people to interact and share ideas with each other. We don’t tell children to gain skills in order to have a good career; we tell children to gain skills in order that they can build up a passion within themselves to create and bring new and interesting ideas and things into the world.
Education is not a means to an end but a means to living a good life. The goal is not to get good grades but to get good at something that you are passionate about. The goal is not to build a career but to build a life. The goal is not to regurgitate but to create. This is what education needs to evolve into so that the human condition will continue upon its upward trajectory.
Opportunities: What do opportunities look like in the future? Today, they are considered the new things/experiences you have potential access to. So I guess in the future it would have the same meaning, but what would those new things/experiences be, or what would they look like?
It is likely that the kinds of opportunities we are used to will be in a different form. Instead of there being an opportunity to study abroad, it may be an opportunity to travel to a distant galaxy or to be a part of a simulation.
Economic opportunities will shift as machines with improved efficiency work to create near-perfect markets, eliminating room for competition or the creation of vast sums of wealth. It’s difficult to say how humans will react to this. As I wrote earlier, humans would rather have civilization destroyed than live a life of unwilling bliss with nothing to triumph over. The Matrix and many other modern-day works have alluded to this by showing what humans will do to regain their freedom of will.
We need opportunities suited for humans that will provide people with a sense of optimism that keeps them driving forward. Without a sense of opportunity comes doubt, skepticism, and pessimism; people begin to shut down. They lose their sense of resilience and playful inquiry that drives the creation of beauty and awe-inspiring works of art.
Resources: Resources are the materials that humans deem valuable to their lives. There is no such thing as a finite resource if humans can find another resource to perform the same function. If we gain the ability to transmute any element into any other, then we have infinite resources to build and create anything (often called a Universal Constructor)2.
What we were once constrained by has become a life-giving force of infinite means.
It is common sense that if we can get infinite resources into the hands of as many humans as possible, then the amount of creativity on this Earth and beyond will grow by orders of magnitude unimaginable by today’s standards. Present economic standards say this will lead to diminishing returns: when the economy’s growth is measured through inflationary metrics, a deflationary economy breaks down the system, and the cogs come to a halt. Thus, it is all too likely AGI will give rise to a new economic standard, that of full-fledged autonomy brought about by a cosmic interdependency.
Poverty will be described as a lack of consciousness or dependency and not as a lack of material wealth or as David Deutsch puts it “Wealth is the set of transformations that we can effect”
How to Think in the Coming Age
The age unfolding in front of us holds psychological, informational, and spiritual implications that are presently unknown.
Psychologically. We are confronted with novel experiences and a dopaminergic feedback cycle that confuses our intentions and makes us out of tune with ourselves and others.
Informationally. We will have access to the combined knowledge of mankind, past and present, plus the knowledge we get from machines. With an abundance of knowledge comes the problem of verifying what is true and what is false.
Spiritually. The coupling of spirit and AGI will bring about a new religion. With its omniscient and omnipotent capabilities, will the human will naively place itself under its control?
Relinquishing the spirit of mankind to be subjugated by the whims of technological advancement would be the greatest tragedy.
Mental Models Under Stress
As technology accelerates and society transforms, the understanding and practice of human paradigms and values: growth, wealth, justice, power, etc., will shift. All of this will happen at a speed and velocity unprecedented when compared to what humans have experienced in the past. Current mental models and habitual reactions will become obsolete, forcing us to think differently about the world and our place in it.
People already have access to more leverage than their parents had and anyone before them. Now imagine the future where the world is even more complex and connected, making leverage and decisions yield consequences and reactions that ripple forcefully across time. Traditional ways of thinking will be stretched to extremes, with decisions and choices having far greater impact due to the increased interconnectedness of the world.
Max Tegmark, one of the leading researchers on AI, said the idea of studying a field for 20 years and working in that field for 40 years is over. To succeed in the future, you will have to be nimble and able to pivot on a dime. The system that allows you to work 8–5 at your corporate job, while providing you with growth in status and earning potential will fade away. The 8–5 is dead, and in place of it will be machines and the coined 4-hour work week by Tim Ferriss.
The paradigm that one’s life trajectory can be defined by a single path and course of action will be few and far between. As the economy and society move and change at rapid speeds, humans too, will have to set themselves up for change, to be nimble! The emerging realities, if dealt with wisely, will be freeing and offer a wide range of unique life paths to the people who are willing to change with the shifting environment.
Abundance vs. Indolence
While abundance will create ample opportunity, it will also be easier to fall into a life of distraction and inactivity. The world is not going to make you move, you will have to be your own mover. Especially if universal basic income becomes a part of society, there will be no incentive to get off the couch. You will have to create your own incentives and explore the world not because you have to, but because you want to.
This economic and societal reality is already playing out. You can see it in all areas of life. People doom-scrolling, not on their phones for any particular reason but because it has become an addiction that must be scratched if they want the joy of having their mind sedated, putting it into a state of artificial bliss. We all do this, and I don’t think anyone can honestly say that it has ever led to something meaningful. In the future, focus will be considered a superpower; people will pay you to help them learn to focus. In fact, people are already doing this.
Carl Jung’s Warning on Indolence
Carl Jung said, “Indolence is the beginning of all vice because in a condition of slothful dreaming the libido has abundant opportunity for sinking into itself.”3 Laziness can begin to plague our lives just as any other vice can, but if you stopped there, you would be a monk. Indolence leads to other vices because it leaves a hole inside your soul that can only be filled by fostering a purpose.
By fostering our sense of purpose and actively participating in our interests, we give ourselves a direction to head towards. In an era where distractions are plentiful, there is only so much willpower that we can use to guard ourselves from its seduction. It will overcome us less if we have a strong enough purpose that will be able to spur us on past the bright, attractive glow of distraction.
Cultural Pressures & Conformity
Pink Floyd famously sang, “Did you trade your role in a play, for a lead role in a cage?”4 With everyone more connected and socially twined together, there will be incentives to stay in line and not expose oneself to be torn apart by the mob. Free thinkers create social disorder, and as the social fabric becomes more complex, there is less room for contrarian thinkers. For this reason, resiliancy needs to be built into the social fabric: allowing people to question, think, and conjecture freely.
This issue is why we need independent states in the future, so that individuals can choose where they want to go: where each state will offer different lifestyles. Arguments and examples can be found in Life 3.0, The Sovereign Individual5, and The Network State6, where the authors do an excellent job exploring this key idea. Independent thinkers and contrarians are the ones who move society forward; without them, we are stuck in a paradigm that only the strong-willed contrarian emerging from the new generation can break us out of.
The Mirage of Abundance
What is the point of pseudo-abundance if what it costs is the loss of adventure and the pursuit of a unique identity? You can fill my fridge with food, my walls with entertainment, and my house with love; but if I cannot experience adventure, fight for my desires, or manifest my will into the world, then I do not wish to play that game. This is a world that is of no interest to me. I will lay my arms down and walk away, walk away from it all. As painful as it may be, it is better than the pain of not being able to actualize myself. I refuse to believe that I was put on this Earth to walk in a line that ultimately leads to my demise. Rather, I will take the fork in the road that is the road less traveled.
Overwhelmed by Endless Options
Think in terms of the world as coming more alive and offering more paths. The reason the modern age can be so stressful is that we have boundless opportunities and options, while our ability to choose and sort out all of the options is lacking strength. We are told we can do anything we want, but this isn’t always great advice if we don’t have the tools to uncover what it is we want. Constraint is paradoxically freeing: people with good habits and rituals are freer than people who arbitrarily decide what to do at any given moment.
We psychologically burden ourselves by constantly second-guessing choices and comparing our paths to others. Instead of taking the long journey, we take any shortcuts we can find. We will take immediate gratification over sacrifice, which doesn’t allow us to fully grow into ourselves or see anything through. Instead of growing into a tall strong oak, we shoot up weak saplings, switching paths whenever we are confronted by an ounce of boredom.
A tall strong oak is better than a 100 saplings.
Super Position yourself
Encourage yourself to think beyond right and wrong, and embrace the uncertainty of the future rather than boxing yourself into rigid categories. In the past, you spent decades mastering a narrow field of expertise; in the future, you will spend decades working and collaborating in many different fields, each one giving you a piece of the whole. The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” will be considered a good thing, and we might learn the latter part of the phrase “But oftentimes better than master of one”.
You do not know where the next opportunities will appear or which skills will matter most to society. By staying nimble and quick to learn, you put yourself in a position to seize new ideas as they emerge. This adaptability strengthens your ability to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
Comparison is the Thief of Joy
The ever-increasing interconnectedness of the world has made it way too easy to compare and to get into mimetic rivalries7 with the other 7 billion people on the Earth. We see what others are doing, and it diminishes our satisfaction. How do we connect with others without allowing them to steer us away from our path? This is the question that psychologists have been trying to answer since social media connected everyone via the web, yielding an inferior social society to that of the past.
Seeking external validation and comparison can be useful, but only to an extent; you can never fully rely on the approbation or competition of others because YOU will always be your number one fan and critic. You will just have to learn how to balance that equation so that you are optimally spurred on. It will be different for everyone, but through careful reflection and attention, I am confident that one can create the balance.
The Value of Exploration
The world is meant to be explored without any expectations for what you will find or get out of it. The same goes for exploring yourself; we have been conditioned to always expect and push for certain outcomes, but sometimes we need to let go and allow answers to be slowly revealed.
Perhaps in the future, we will have more time for reflection, which will allow us to explore the deeper meanings of life through the expansion of awareness and understanding. This higher existence will only be possible if we start to foster a world that builds a foundation for this deeper kind of existence. Without active attempts to form a world that supports deep life forms, we will quickly find ourselves in a world of constant distraction followed by long-term dissatisfaction, masked by the illusion of short-term satisfaction.
Technology as a Servant & Not a Master
Technology has played its role in creating prosperity, but has also been a tool for destruction, manipulation, and slavery. By relying on technology and allowing it to dictate how we think and experience life, we give up our freedom to the techno tyrants who use ephemeral media to push ideological agendas. Technology as a tool to serve human needs is different than allowing it to dictate our lives. If technology is going to take an ounce of freedom away from our lives, it is our prerogative to cultivate the willpower and courage to reject these technologies and look for another solution
If we do not have the right to dictate the terms of the future, we will be like leaves in the wind: pushed here and there by whatever direction technology decides to take us. Our greatest invention will become our great downfall. To avoid this, individuals need to start asking themselves what they want technology to do for them, what they want technology to stop doing, and explore if there is technology that has become a habitual part of our lives that we need to reject.
Reflecting on our current situation, ask if you are seeing any signs of technology that, on the surface, is improving life, but underneath it’s causing more harm than good? There are probably a few of these technologies that we have let into our lives that we need to call an exterminator to get them out. Technology is addictive and slick, so a lot of times we can be ignorant of our degree of reliance and blind to its role in slowly altering the core of who we are.
Search for Meaning Without Sacrificing the Present
When we search for ultimate meaning, we take ourselves away from the joys of everyday existence, we look past the common in search for the elusive, and by so doing, the pure eludes us, and the common is below us. We find ourselves stuck in the middle with no place to rest. That which is below us is not satisfying, and that above is beyond our reach.
This way of living is absurd, and is where the philosophy of absurdism can come in to bring a better understanding. Its most basic premise is that there is no ultimate meaning to be found, but that meaning is found on the individual level and can be acted out in all facets of life. Viktor Frankl had a similar approach when he said, “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life…The meaning of life is to give life meaning.”8
I have used the word “meaning” a lot, and what it comes down to is this: living and acting out in this world that which invigorates you with hope and purpose. It is really that simple; the difficult part is living your life in this manner, believing that the sacrifices you make are meaningful and worth it. But if you can foster this in your own life, you will never be depressed because you know that no matter the circumstances of life, you are both capable and willing to find meaning in them.
Moving Forward into the New Age
In conclusion, as humanity continues to increase its reliance on machines, it becomes essential that our consciousness expands alongside these advancements. The age unfolding before us presents psychological, informational, and spiritual implications that are unlike anything we’ve faced before. Thus, we are called to redefine how we live, grow, and find meaning in a rapidly evolving world.
The questions that I have aimed to explore throughout this essay will only grow more urgent as technology progresses. My hope is that this essay serves as a starting point for deeper conversations: what it means to live a life of purpose, creativity, and curiosity in an age defined by artificial intelligence.
The future is not something to be feared, but something to be shaped with careful thought, intention and awareness.
If you made it this far, I thank you and hope your imagination was sparked and your faith in the future restored.
Thank you for reading.
May your eyes be bright and full of everlasting laughter.
Follow my X account if you are looking to partake in deep, sensitive, and bright conversations. All it takes is 1 sentence to change your paradigm.
Tegmark, Max. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.
Deutsch, David. The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World. Viking, 2011.
Jung, C. G. Psychology of the Unconscious. Translated by Beatrice M. Hinkle, Moffat, Yard and Company, 1916.
Davidson, James Dale, and William Rees-Mogg. The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age. Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Balaji S. N. The Network State: How to Start a New Country. 2023, thenetworkstate.com. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Girard, René. Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World. Translated by Stephen Bann and Michael Metteer, Stanford University Press, 1987.
Mimetic rivalry arises when two or more individuals desire the same object, not because of the object’s inherent value, but because they imitate one another’s desires. According to René Girard, humans learn what to want by observing models, and when two people follow the same model, they inevitably converge on the same goals, partners, status, or symbols of prestige. This shared desire turns the other person into an obstacle, escalating tension and transforming admiration into competition, conflict, and even violence. The rivalry intensifies because each person mirrors the other’s behavior, creating a feedback loop where both become locked in opposition. In this way, mimetic rivalry is less about the object itself and more about the struggle for recognition, identity, and the affirmation of one’s own being in the eyes of another.
Frankl, Viktor E. Man’s Search for Meaning. Beacon Press, 1959.