I never said families, nor did the OP: just that being able to make decisions, protected by law, as to who receives your assets after you die is a desirable thi

I never said families, nor did the OP: just that being able to make decisions, protected by law, as to who receives your assets after you die is a desirable thing for long-term productivity. Name 1 other "loss function" that would scale society-wide. Even the charitable impulse requires that there be well established businesses at which the recipients can spend and benefit from the money, businesses which take a lot of time to build without seeing a return on investment.