"....as well as giving its people (on the whole) the means and the security to live even though their individual lives have not been valued in a way we as Westerners appreciate. So is that "good" or "bad"? Or do we really have the equipment to make that decision?"

Uh, yes there is the third option:).
But nevertheless you seem to me to be shading slightly towards born bad.
Therefore in regards to your question about equipment, I could rephrase my second question as has "societal form" reached it's apex [or basically very near the top] or have through out all our time and across all present societal varieties still at the beginning. Are we only fine tuning or improving the engine or does future hold possiblities of societal forms which are "better" and could be completely alien to our present understanding?
OR simply: Is there a future capacity to have the equipment to possibly making that decision?