[didibus]

> That culture might be more or less effective (again, according to what metrics?)

Isn't this the idea of "free will". That you get to choose for yourself the metrics you want to optimize your life for?

Now I think that you'll use a combination of learned and inherited desires for it. But the idea here is that each individual can express those desires, and then the "success" of a society is thus to maximize each individuals success, even when they differ in their metrics.

That's a made up concept as well, but I think it still stems from individual desires. We've just mostly all individually observed that an organized society that compromises with each other to maximize each and everyone's individual desires has less risk to our own desires being squandered.

The alternative would be to try to achieve power over others to maximize your desires, and maybe from history and life experience, people have found that to be not sustainable or only achievable for a few, thus your chances at it are lower.

In essence, I think I'm saying that it seems over time people know their desires, but don't know how to beat fulfill them, and this is the metric.