Economic prosperity outweighs culture? Only if one is a died-in-the-wool capitalist.Any counter-examples, then? Again, my posittion is that economics is more important to a stable society (nation state/city/whatever unit of governance you wish to use) than is culture. I'm not making any judgments on the desirability of that state, but rather just commenting that this seems to be how it works.
Your assertion that "Human beings are inherently selfish." is false. It should be written "Capitalists are inherently selfish." Moreover, Capitalists think selfishness is a good thing. Capitalists the world over say, "Greed is Good. Greed feeds you. Greed clothes you. Greed is how you get ahead."Again, counter-examples? If you believe this so strongly you must have some basis for that opinion other than rhetoric. When I look at any society on the face of the earth, true non-selfish behavior only arises when ALL other needs are met. Life is inherently selfish. This may not agree with your ideals, but I'm being practical here. This isn't about wishes, it's about how it actually works.
Like I said, I'm more interested in an actual discussion than posturing and bluster. Try looking at it without knee-jerk blinders on. If you can't manage that, then please step out.
Or, if I need to elaborate on something, point it out.