endreason

Endreason is a term used in discussions of decision making and artificial intelligence to describe the ultimate objective or end state that an agent seeks to achieve. It denotes the core purpose or value driving behavior, distinct from the specific steps or subgoals employed to reach that state. The term blends the idea of a final aim (end) with the rationale (reason) that justifies pursuing it.

Usage and scope of the term are informal and not widely standardized. Endreason commonly appears in speculative or informal AI safety conversations, philosophy of action, and some online discussions where authors seek to distinguish an overarching goal from the methods used to pursue it. It is sometimes equated with, or contrasted against, concepts such as terminal value, final objective, or overarching utility, though practitioners emphasize that endreason highlights the normative justification for actions rather than the procedural aspects of planning.

In formal discussions of AI, endreason can be thought of as a high-level objective or value function that an agent seeks to maximize, while the planning process generates actions to fulfill that end. This framing supports debates about value alignment, corrigibility, and how to prevent goal misgeneralization, by focusing on the target purpose behind behavior rather than only on the mechanics of action selection.

Limitations include its informal status and potential for ambiguity. Because endreason can be used differently across authors, explicit clarification is advised to specify whether it refers to a normative objective, a concrete reward signal, or an abstract goal. Related concepts include goal, objective, intention, and value alignment.