Desire

Is the desire to achieve more in life in the broadest context an organic process in nature, or is it an artificial construct that is forged by the mind?

Depends on whether you want to differentiate between brain and mind.

Where there is desire, there is no peace. Problem is, desiring to not desire is still desire. As far as desire being an artificial construct, advertising doesn’t help.

Getting what you want leads to loss and disapointment. Not needing is a great and true relief.

I want the world, chico, hence my near constant unhappy pain.

Again if you want to distinct organic from inorganic, in terms of cognition , that is the primal question.

The mind could just as well be in the guts. Right, Meno?

Well yes if your hunger is in the literal mode, but if you are trying to figure, it definitely has higher awareness in mind.

Yes, it’s aware that my taste buds don’t share a better self-interest.

Well that kind of proves it.

Desire is born of the loins, to reproduce, therefore biological.

It might at times be a good thing if our minds were in our guts. We just might follow our better or best instincts then.

I’d say artificial scarcity (thanks to capitalism) and social engineering grossly exaggerate our natural, necessary and healthy desires to achieve things, blows them out of all proportion.