Every conscious action is intended to produce happiness

I actually adapted Bentham's statement. Duty would be a 'reason to do something'.Premise 1You either accept this premise, or you deny that conscious actions can be ‘freely-willed’, and that seems like a contradiction. Premise 2Desirable for the self, which may include considerations of others, for it is ultimately my desires which control my actions, otherwise I am not in control of those actions. Would you not agree?Premise 3Again, the self, for the reason previously stated. You seem to be inventing an argument there; I did not use that justification. People may be so incredibly lazy that they only bother to think of one possible world, but still, if that is the only world they are considering it must therefore be the most desirable one they thought of. If they thought of a more desirable world, the only reason for not pursuing the action to create that world would be that it was impossible or required too much work (which actually just makes it less desirable, as that world includes much work, which they do not desire), or their desires would not be controlling their actions. Premise 4A conscious action requires a desire behind it, and therefore an intended consequence is always entailed by the action (satisfying the desire).Premise 5I never said we were selfish, because that would mean we do not care about each other. We do; in fact, we may desire their happiness. How does it hinder my happiness to have empathy, exactly? If I lack empathy I cannot bask in the happiness of others.Would I donate to an HIV charity if I believed that people with HIV should be exterminated? Perhaps, but only if there was some other reason to donate, e.g. improving one’s personal image. For my position to be invalidated, you would have to show that it is possible for some to consciously perform an action which they do not desire to do. It’s simply not possible.Premise 6They are attempts in that they are attempts to bring about the intended (and desired) consequences. If all conscious actions are motivated by desires then obviously a consequence must be intended – the satisfaction of that desire, as I previously stated. ConclusionWhat? I shall reiterate: the only consequences I am considering are the intended ones. The real consequences of actions are immaterial to this debate.TautologiesTautologies prove nothing? ‘All ravens are ravens’ proves that the statement ‘Not all ravens are ravens’ is false. If 'All conscious actions intend to produce happiness' is a truism, so be it; my position is validated.Meaningless Statements, Deduction and InductionThere is a difference between being selfish, which is not considering the happiness of others, and doing what you desire to do, which may include attempting to bring about the happiness of others.I am not trying to inductively prove anything; I am deductively proving it, hence the deductive argument above. If my argument is correct, then my proposition is vindicated.Egoism vs. AltruismIt’s only a concession if you’re trying to misrepresent my position. Sometimes it is the case that the most desirable world is one where you have acted to bring happiness to others – but that is subordinate to producing the most desirable world, and I believe I have established that bringing about the most desirable world for an individual entails the intention of the most happiness for that individual.“We are all equal, it is the right thing to do"Do I need to explain this psychology? You’ve already told me that no matter how many explanations of individual examples I give I won’t have proved anything. Anyway: clearly the individual thinking this is desiring happiness for others, or desiring to be a moral person... or anything really, so long as they are his desires. He is not being possessed and robbed of self-control by the suffering of others.Life Insurance PuzzleI would hope that the average individual would choose the second option. Why do you ask?