The most direct reason for human beings to reproduce is sexual instinct, but people do not stop at this explanation. They also seek higher reasons and meanings for their behavior, such as continuing the family line and the continuation of the race, etc. However, I think it is far-fetched to say it is for the sake of the race. Humans are selfish animals, and they do it more for themselves. They consider their offspring as a part of themselves, and this part continues to exist after their death. 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 the consciousness of self-continuation.
Humans attempt to continue themselves in two ways: through reproduction and through cultural creation (broadly speaking, any behavior that produces and disseminates information should be included since the information age. For convenience, it is referred to as "cultural creation" here). The former is a material continuation, while the latter is a spiritual continuation.
Through reproduction, 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 reproduction, the object of self-continuation can only be one's own offspring, with limited quantity and a narrow audience; through cultural creation, the object of self-continuation can be anyone, with a huge quantity and a broad audience.
Some people hoard wealth far beyond their own needs, all for the sake of their descendants, and their descendants can be endless, so their desire to hoard wealth is endless. Therefore, wealth polarization arises, which is the product of considering reproduction as self-continuation. If someone does not have the concept of leaving descendants and instead considers cultural creation as the purpose of life and the means of self-continuation, because everyone is a potential reader, a medium, and a carrier of their own self-continuation, they will love everyone, not just their own offspring. This is the situation of loving others due to selfishness.
I often doubt my conclusions after reaching them.
Some people say that the purpose of reproducing offspring 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 biological traits, but their souls, consciousness, and personalities are independent and cannot be transmitted and inherited through genes. So, can the genes passed down through reproduction really represent ourselves? Does our self really continue in part just through reproduction?