Why do we develop a discriminating mind towards different things?

These past few days, I've been observing my own state—I've used many AI models and have preferences; I've bought stocks in many companies and also have preferences. The line between what I like and dislike is clearly drawn.

But upon careful thought, where does this 'discrimination' actually come from?

It exists only within my own needs. I like a certain model because it satisfies my needs; I favor a certain company because it meets my expectations. Ultimately, it's just the instinct of living organisms to seek benefit and avoid harm in operation.

Extending this further, all systems of evaluation are essentially a form of self-projection. All evaluations are essentially judgments about 'functionality'.

When I say 'someone is very good', the calculation completed subconsciously is: their behavior patterns, values, or abilities can satisfy my emotional needs, efficiency needs, or security needs at a low cost. When I say 'someone is no good', the calculation completed subconsciously is: they either challenge my cognitive system, or cannot provide the value I expect, or even increase my entropy.

I thought I was making objective judgments, but I was really just measuring the distance between others and my own needs.

That's why I increasingly like to say now, I don't understand, I can't see. Not only because the coordinate system established by your needs is inherently different from mine. But also because, often, descriptive logic cannot be used, many cause-and-effect relationships don't hold, and it can only be called a feeling. The result is just feedback, not a verdict.

The mistake I often make is treating my subjective needs as objective standards—misreading 'I need' as 'this is how it should be'.

Going a step further, where do these needs themselves come from?

Greed—from the memory of scarcity

Fear—from the avoidance of loss of control

Security—from dependence on certainty

Recognition—from resistance to loneliness

These needs existed before you were aware of them. You think you are choosing, but you are actually being driven by these factory settings.

Not to mention, there is a large group of people in this world manipulating emotions and unifying people's needs.

The discriminating mind is not because 'the companies are different', but because 'my needs have a bias, lying within myself, and I have built a framework that distinguishes everything based on my own needs.

See the needs, but don't be kidnapped by them.