Instincts as desire generators

We often talk about instincts as if they force animals to act against their will. But why should that be the case? Could instincts generate the animal’s desires instead?

Look at your cat or dog. Do you really think they play against their will (when they simulate hunting or bring a stick)? Why should that be the case?

I claim that instincts do not simply make an animal do something. They generate the desires that make it want to act.

We feel hungry and want to eat. We feel the urge to urinate and want to find a place to do it. We want to have sex. These desires feel like our own, but they are also ways our biology directs our behavior.

We just need to identify what generates our curiosity, our desire to dominate, and our other motivations to understand how they work.