Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Jun 7 2023 09:39pm)
You've only moved the problem one step up.
Ultimately all goals eventually end in "because I want it". That's what defines a terminal goal vs an instrumental goal.
I want to cure cancer because I want to maximize human happiness.
I want to maximize human happiness because..... I want to. Why don't I want to maximize suffering? Because I just don't. Maybe it's because my brain evolved to be pro-social, but ultimately that just explains the origin of the desire. It's still an arbitrary desire. Might as well say "because my brain impulsed in a way that made me want it".
The question though is: why?
Why do you want it? Why does your brain impulse in a certain way?
It's not random - because if it was, you would constantly shift between wanting to maximize human happiness and maximizing suffering randomly such that the aggregate would be zero - feeling nothing at all.
Why did your brain evolve to be pro-social? Why, statistically, do most people's brains evolve to be pro-social? Why not equally random? Why is it an arbitrary desire, when all statistics and observation point to it not being arbitrary?
The answer to why you want to maximize human happiness and minimize suffering is the divine spark of life that is intrinsic within your soul.
Now you may not accept that answer, which is okay, but you should still seek to answer the question of "why?" instead of settling with the null conclusion of "it just is"