It's often said that people 'need' something more in their lives than just the material world. There is a gap that must be filled. People need to feel a sense of purpose. Well, not a BAD purpose would be to find out what is already here, in the material world, before concluding that you need something more. Just study what is, and you'll find that it already is far more uplifting than anything you could imagine needing.
Science needs to be released from the lab into the culture.