The brain feels like a quantum alien that took over a biological shell to survive on this planet and is now trying to optimize its casing options. (Deliberately changing the terms for a concept can help us see it in a new light.)
- Some wants damage the casing but feel great to the brain (sugar).
- Some wants take over a portion of the brain's activity and tax it to eternity (addiction), so its best to never ever try them.
- Some wants are very very bad for other brains and casings, so carnivores draw the line making non-carnivorous varieties inferior and thus worth sacrificing (meat consumption).
- Some wants damage the connections and relationships between human brains and thus ability for all of humanity to survive collectively, so religion and laws have stepped in to set the rules of engagement.
- Some wants are psychological and financially a bad idea.
- Few wants are fundamental, and most wants are based on something we've seen others done that we want to try.
- Wanting not to want something is a tax and conflict with our own brain, and just like addiction it can be tackled if the want was caused by exposure to the activity, or exposure to the idea, or the subject/object of want and that exposure is reduced or removed from view.
- If you are the subject of the want (an attractive person, a VC, a Billionaire, a person of influence), all of a sudden your life incurs an overhead and a cost for deterring everyone else's wants towards you.
Psychology/Philosophy may have more insight into whether the origin of bad wants is curiosity, wrongful exposure, greed, or inborn instincts based on biological/genetically ingrained habits.
Economics + Business has the job of satisfying the wants of an increasing number of intelligent agents in the system by encouraging those who want more to make more and increase supply of the the most wanted kinds of objects of want. Government has the job of satisfying the needs of everyone in its jurisdiction, while entrepreneurship has the luxury of picking which wants and needs to serve that are most profitable and desirable to the entrepreneur.
Advertising has the job of involuntarily planting more wants in the brains of everyone.
- Some wants damage the casing but feel great to the brain (sugar).
- Some wants take over a portion of the brain's activity and tax it to eternity (addiction), so its best to never ever try them.
- Some wants are very very bad for other brains and casings, so carnivores draw the line making non-carnivorous varieties inferior and thus worth sacrificing (meat consumption).
- Some wants damage the connections and relationships between human brains and thus ability for all of humanity to survive collectively, so religion and laws have stepped in to set the rules of engagement.
- Some wants are psychological and financially a bad idea.
- Few wants are fundamental, and most wants are based on something we've seen others done that we want to try.
- Wanting not to want something is a tax and conflict with our own brain, and just like addiction it can be tackled if the want was caused by exposure to the activity, or exposure to the idea, or the subject/object of want and that exposure is reduced or removed from view.
- If you are the subject of the want (an attractive person, a VC, a Billionaire, a person of influence), all of a sudden your life incurs an overhead and a cost for deterring everyone else's wants towards you.
Psychology/Philosophy may have more insight into whether the origin of bad wants is curiosity, wrongful exposure, greed, or inborn instincts based on biological/genetically ingrained habits.
Economics + Business has the job of satisfying the wants of an increasing number of intelligent agents in the system by encouraging those who want more to make more and increase supply of the the most wanted kinds of objects of want. Government has the job of satisfying the needs of everyone in its jurisdiction, while entrepreneurship has the luxury of picking which wants and needs to serve that are most profitable and desirable to the entrepreneur.
Advertising has the job of involuntarily planting more wants in the brains of everyone.
Fun paths to explore. Thanks PG!