I think you missed "selfishly motivated". Not all societies place emphasis on the individual. Those that do move towards capitalism; those that don't move tow

I think you missed "selfishly motivated". Not all societies place emphasis on the individual. Those that do move towards capitalism; those that don't move toward communism. Obviously there are many shades of each, but indigenous societies were basically communists. They didn't believe people should be able to own the land; they lived together, used reciprocity instead of markets as the trade system. As for why some societies are more selfish and some more communal--that's a good question. I think it comes to which religions they develop. Abrahamic religions place great emphasis on the individual whereas many polytheist and indigenous religions are the opposite. Now as to why those religions developed, that's anyone's best guess. Probably sheer luck and climate conditions