Every person has preferences about their external reality (beauty, tasty, scary, injustice etc.) These preferences appear to be programmed into us by our genes.

We are unaware of these aesthetic preferences until our mind has been sufficiently exposed to sensory reality. Until we have discovered 3d forms and behaviors. And then linked these to beliefs, language tags and narrative.

We are not taught what is beautiful or scary, we discover that we already know it. This inner knowledge is part of our aesthetics. They are compared to the thoughts and perceptions driven by our external social reality. These inner judgements generate emotions which drive our will to act.

Social conflict is primarily driven by differences (and incompatibilities) between our personal aesthetics. And to a lesser extent weakness of intellect, wisdom or our ability to empathize.

If a machine had all the machinery of consciousness, but without an inner aesthetics, it would neither think nor act. Since no thought or action would be considered better or worse than any other. Even the 'will' to link cause and effect would be absent. The mind would be vacant.

Aesthetics drive thought and action through our emotions. If thought is derived from information processes representing 4th dimensional space, as I propose, and 3d simulations are pathways through that space. Then emotion, driven by our aesthetics, prioritizes which thoughts to pursue. Our aesthetics seek out pathways surrounding bliss and terror.