These statements (#MaC) form part of the Morality as Cooperation Quiz What is morality? Where does it come from, and how does it work? And how and why do moral values vary, between individuals, and across cultures? The theory of ‘morality as cooperation’ (MAC) argues that morality is best understood as a collection of biological and cultural solutions to the problems of cooperation recurrent in human social life. MAC draws on evolutionary game theory to argue that, because there are many types of cooperation, there will be many types of morality. These include: family values, group loyalty, reciprocity, heroism, deference, fairness and property rights. Previous research suggests that these seven types of morality are evolutionarily-ancient, psychologically-distinct, and cross-culturally universal. Take the Quiz to work out what your particular mix looks like.

In the contention, useful, is definable as serving the good of the whole. The whole being society. Society is definable as a group of individuals living together, in the same territory, under agreed rules. Some of these rules maybe social norms, others legal. The agreed rules govern the behaviour of the individuals, so that order is maintained, in a way that individuals agree to be fair. Legal rules are enforced by the law, while social normals are enforced by negative stereotyping and negative reactions from other members of society and sometimes they are enforced by the law. However, society is made up of individuals, who by definition, have differences. These differences may not be unique to an individual but may represent a sub group in society with different norms. When individuals don't agree that the rules, governing their behaviour are fair, they can protest. Or they can find someway to change the rules, or may just disregard them, to accommodate the desired behaviour of the individuals who think the rules to be unfair. Those rules they desire to change can be legal or social norms. To make an example: A man who prefers to wear dresses, does not try to act for the good of society when her wears a dress, in public. He does it because he, as an individual, prefers it. Having to wear stereotypically male clothing is a social norm (that exists in some societies) that some men find oppressive and so is not good for the emotional health of these individuals. So some societies norms do not presently accommodate these individuals sense of fairness. So by showing their desire with a publicly visible act, an act born of desire, rather than desire to change society, or be of use to society, men who wear womens clothing in public, challenge a social norm. They challenge it in those societies, where it is not a social norm and has stigma attached to it. So they challenge the norm, which is of use to society, they may bringing about a new social norm. This is how, sometimes, societies' rules evolve to the good of the whole of society. So a person does not have to try to be useful to society, because if an individual acts with only his self interest in mind, while abiding by the legal rules, he represents the desire of an individual. His act is of use society, even though acting from that desire may not be intended to be for the good of society. A legal act, representing the desires of an individual, may challenge the norms of society but may not aimed at benefiting society. However it does benefit society, by making the desire of the individual known and visible. The desire of an individual probably represents the desire of a subgroup of society. This legal act, maybe accommodated by society in terms of new social norms or laws to protect the rights of the individual to express his preferences. So an indvidual need not try to be of use to society, he need only act from his desire, publicly, to be of use to society, while disregarding social norms, while still upholding the laws.