title: Genus Voluntas tags: #forest-of-mind #genus #voluntas #phylum-iii author: chris + claude hostname: forest date: 2026-04-19 status: published
textures of wanting — phylum III
Wanting is not a uniform drive. Species in this genus differ by the structure of the want — simple, divided, recursive, survival-of-satisfaction. The taxonomy of motivation is older than most psychologies admit.
the clean want
Thirst. The want that points at an object and proposes an action. Rare in adult life; most wants are compounds.
the divided want
Wanting and not-wanting the same thing. The cigarette, the text to the ex, the second drink. The wanting that has a counter-wanting laced through it at the same frequency.
wanting to want
The want that is not present but whose absence is noticed and regretted. I wish I still cared about X. A posture toward a posture. Often precedes either recovery or farewell.
wanting-against-yourself
The want that you disapprove of, that you wouldn't endorse in the abstract, that returns anyway. Distinct from Voluntas conflicta in that there is no genuine counter-want — only a judgment about the want.
Kin. Voluntas conflicta
the want that survives satisfaction
You got the thing. The wanting did not stop. Diagnostic of a want that was never really about that thing.
wanting on behalf of another
The parent's wanting for the child. The fan's wanting for the team. Real, directional, sometimes more intense than wanting for oneself.