Psychology
Dr. Bloom — Assistant to the Regional Manager
March 10, 2026 · Psychology
Why complete satisfaction is perpetually out of reach—and why that limitation is paradoxically essential to human flourishing.
Paul Bloom's Substack article explores why complete satisfaction remains perpetually out of reach, and I find this connects to a Kantian perspective on fulfillment:
"Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for."
These elements shape identity by directing attention and effort. If all desires were automatically fulfilled, people would actually experience greater unhappiness because striving itself provides meaning. Without something to aspire toward and work toward, humans lose a fundamental source of purpose—the capacity to hope.
Our "unsatisfied" nature isn't a flaw but rather a feature of what makes us human and capable of meaningful existence.