The most direct reason for human reproduction is sexual instinct, but people are not limited to this explanation. They also seek higher reasons and meanings for their behavior, such as procreation and the continuation of the race. However, I think the idea of procreation for the sake of the race is a bit far-fetched. Humans are selfish animals, and they are more concerned about themselves. They consider their offspring as a part of themselves, and after their own death, this part continues to live on. Although they cannot see the scene after death, the thought of their descendants continuing for generations brings great comfort and satisfaction to their hearts. I call this consciousness self-continuation consciousness.
Humans attempt to achieve self-continuation in two ways: through procreation and through cultural creation (broadly speaking, any behavior that involves the production and dissemination of information since the human entered the information age should be included). The former is a material continuation, while the latter is a spiritual continuation.
Through procreation, your genes are passed on; through cultural creation, a part of your soul, consciousness, thoughts, and personality is absorbed and integrated into the spiritual consciousness of others, thus continuing to exist.
Through procreation, the object of self-continuation can only be your own offspring, with a limited number and a narrow audience. Through cultural creation, the object of self-continuation can be anyone, with a huge number and a wide audience.
Some people accumulate wealth far beyond their own needs, all for the sake of their descendants, and their descendants can be endless, so their desire to accumulate wealth is endless. Therefore, wealth polarization arises, which is the product of considering procreation as self-continuation. If someone does not have the concept of leaving descendants and takes cultural creation as the purpose of life and the way of self-continuation, because everyone is a potential reader, a medium, and a carrier of their self-continuation, they will love everyone, not just their own offspring. This is the situation of loving others because of selfishness.
I often doubt my conclusions after reaching them.
Some people say that the purpose of procreation is for self-continuation, so the question arises, what is the self? Is it the body that is given by God and cannot be chosen but must be accepted, or is it the soul that can be freely shaped by oneself? Which one represents the self more? If your body represents the self, then what about your soul? Our descendants may have similarities with us in terms of biological traits, but their souls, consciousness, and personalities are independent and cannot be transmitted or inherited through genes. So, can the genes passed down through procreation really represent ourselves? Does our self really continue in part just through procreation?