Fans of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series, or A. E. van Vogt's "Voyage of the Space Beagle", may imagine that science will one day help us find the correct "equation of greater good" with which to guide policy decisions. Don't count on it.
If idea pools in cultural communities are like gene pools in communities of social animals, then "greater good equations" will compete with one another. In fact, they already do. Rather than being given or deduced, such equations evolve by selective replication just as nucleic acid strings evolve in complex multi-species communities (like a tide pool).
Although science can still offer sound insight into elements of the greater good, rather than dictating the equation it will be up to science to make its case for consideration by cultures across the globe. The good news is that this can have very positive results. The bad news is that some still see science as a (good or bad) replacement for culture, rather than as a natural complement.
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