What is motivation? Where does it come from? Why do we do what we do? — Gotterdammerung
1) Are goals "real" in that they are a natural phenomena that are a part of certain animal biological/psychological make-up, or a nominal label for a very pervasive social convention/habit? — schopenhauer1
2) Do the origins of goal-directed behavior come from evolutionary forces of biology/psychology or are they social conventions that ride on top of some more basic component? Related, If animals have goals are they different than human-directed goals? — schopenhauer1
3) If goals are more on the nominal side of the spectrum, what does that mean in terms of ethical implications? If ethics aims at goals, and goals are nominal, does this invalidate certain ethical standards that are goal-directed? — schopenhauer1
4) Are some goals better than others? If so, how do justify a weighting to the goals such that one takes priority over the other? Are goals related to survival self-evident, for example? If goals of survival are superior than other goals, does this have implications for ethics? For example, can one say that since there is a de facto goal of not being hungry, humans must do X action to accomplish not going hungry? — schopenhauer1
What is motivation? Where does it come from? Why do we do what we do? — Gotterdammerung
Inasmuch as "goal" is synonymous with "intention", it is a psychological expression of a subjective experience which can be observed by others, hence; a natural phenomenon. And inasmuch as people discuss "goals", "goal" is a nominal label. — Galuchat
I think it is necessary to distinguish between intentions, or goals, and motivation which is the ambition that aids in successfully achieving ones goals. — Metaphysician Undercover
I don't see how a goal, or intention, could be observed by another...I think that we can only really observe our own goals, and this is an internal observation. — Metaphysician Undercover
Also, we can observe the actions of others, and using some premises, we can make some logical conclusion concerning the person's goal, but again this is not the same as observing the goal. — Metaphysician Undercover
A goal is not an entity, it is a psychological function of human beings. So, a person cannot even observe their own goal; they experience it. — Galuchat
What is observed is goal behaviour, described by criteria, and constituting criterial evidence of another's goal experience.
...I agree, but it is the same as observing that a person has a goal. — Galuchat
Why do we do what we do? — Gotterdammerung
It would be odd to say that I experience the goal, if the goal is to experience a cup of tea... — unenlightened
you experience intent — Galuchat
A plan is also an imagined act... — unenlightened
A goal is an image projected into an imagined future, and identified with. Goals are imaginary until they are realised. — unenlightened
Motivation is driven by your emotions, both being of the same root, and both referencing what moves you, both physically and emotionally. — Hanover
I wonder if a goal is necessarily an image, or "imagined". I suppose it depends on what is meant by "imagined", but it seems to me that often a goal is just some sort of vague notion, not an image at all. I want to be satisfied, and happy, what kind of image is that? It appears to be easier to put words to a goal than it is to put an image to a goal. Why? These words don't produce any particular images, just vague notions. — Metaphysician Undercover
One can act without motive.
What motivates me to make tea is the imagined pleasure that will ensue. And the image of pleasure comes from memory of times I have taken pleasure in drinking tea in the past, and is projected - thrown forward in time, and that is what we call 'desire', the imagined repetition of past pleasure, or the imagined relief from present pain.
OK, so all you have done here is distinguished between two types of objects, objects which are entities and objects which are goals. You claim that only entities can be observed, thus restricting the use and meaning of "observe". — Metaphysician Undercover
Also. it appears like you want to restrict the use of "experience", such that one experiences one's goals, but does not experience entities. Unless you adopt some dualist premises, I do not believe that such restrictions can be justified. — Metaphysician Undercover
What is observed is goal behaviour. And if we associate this behaviour with a premise, we can deduce that the person has a goal. But making the logical conclusion that the person has a goal is not the same thing as observing that the person has a goal. The goal is not observed. According to your restrictions, observations are of entities, not of goals. So no matter how well you observe the goal behaviour, you are not observing the goal (which can only be experienced according to your restrictions). Nor have you observed that the person has a goal, you have deduced this. — Metaphysician Undercover
2)I think that a person's own goals may be apprehended with one's own mind, and the person may observe and follow one's own goals. — Metaphysician Undercover
...all i mean by imagined is that it is something in one's head that is not in the world. — unenlightened
Are goals "real" in that they are a natural phenomena that are a part of certain animal biological/psychological make-up, or a nominal label for a very pervasive social convention/habit? — schopenhauer1
But at the moment, there is no tea, and therefore no pleasure. The pleasure that has not yet happened cannot be the cause of its own production. It can only then be the pain of thirst. — unenlightened
Psychological functions and conditions are socially learned verbal constructs which explain types of natural and acculturated behaviour. — Galuchat
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