I'm not sure how to phrase this...

[angelofdeath9308]

but here is my attempt.
What causes things to survive? or to want to survive? I know there is some sort of self-preservation mindset in humans that causes them to do things in extreme situations they would otherwise not do, and this is to survive. But even at the smallest cellular level of life, why do they go on existing? How, if cells can not choose whether to live or die, is mitosis possible? What causes them to "go on" in other words?

 

[Norsemaiden]

but here is my attempt.
What causes things to survive? or to want to survive? I know there is some sort of self-preservation mindset in humans that causes them to do things in extreme situations they would otherwise not do, and this is to survive. But even at the smallest cellular level of life, why do they go on existing? How, if cells can not choose whether to live or die, is mitosis possible? What causes them to "go on" in other words?

Does a fire choose to burn? Things that do not burn do not make a fire, but things that are inflamable do. Without the flame of life, life is extinguished.

 

[Silver Incubus]

but here is my attempt.
What causes things to survive? or to want to survive? I know there is some sort of self-preservation mindset in humans that causes them to do things in extreme situations they would otherwise not do, and this is to survive. But even at the smallest cellular level of life, why do they go on existing? How, if cells can not choose whether to live or die, is mitosis possible? What causes them to "go on" in other words?

I would guess that somewhere in the dna or even smaller, that it resembles that of a computer program that runs and does everything it has been programed to do. Of coures the best ones at doing this survive and the ones that don't die, and that would be natural selection.

 

[Horus]

The fact that a being has conciousness and is aware that they have conciousness is what makes something desire to survive. It knows its alive and wants to survive as best as it can.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

but here is my attempt.
What causes things to survive? or to want to survive? I know there is some sort of self-preservation mindset in humans that causes them to do things in extreme situations they would otherwise not do, and this is to survive. But even at the smallest cellular level of life, why do they go on existing? How, if cells can not choose whether to live or die, is mitosis possible? What causes them to "go on" in other words?

Who says that they do "want" to live? I might be wrong, but I believe there are some languages in which the concept of "want" doesn't exist. So universalizing the concept of "want" for humans is somewhat sketchy, universalizing it for all living things is anthroprmorphism at its extreme. Do we know that unicelled organisms have conciousness let alone desires? Honestly I think its a question we are incapable of answering.