Great discussion Giles, but not so sure about "immutable laws" even in physics (my first love). And, culture/technology are really a chicken & egg problem. You should note what Thorsten Veblen (my favorite economist/anthropologist) had to say about them during a previous gilded age. The only law may be the Iron Law of Oligarchy. See: https://www.salon.com/2019/04/19/the-man-who-saw-trump-coming-a-century-ago_partner/