But what if the character I want to play has a higher Wis than 14? My character idea is an extremely wise goblin, not a decently wise goblin. Why should I be limited by an arbitrary rule which says that it's impossible for a level 1 goblin to have 16 Wis?
You'll increase your Wisdom at increased levels as is intended.
Arguing that this is an "arbitrary rule" is nonsense. All game rules are arbitrary at heart. This is a rule that makes the diversity of races more interesting and have different mechanical advantages. Removing it makes all races more homogenic and less interesting. You might as well be arguing that you shouldn't be limited by classes or any other arbitrary mechanics.
Increasing my Wisdom at level 4 doesn't really help if I want my character to start out incredibly wise.
Then you should probably make your level one character something that is more suitable to a level one character and less something fit for a high level character.
