Ultimate causes (teloi), the objects and objectives of purpose, common purpose, come into view as higher values within the context of abundance. When the collective transforms into a community it does so around some common purpose to which the members of the collective wish to dedicate themselves. That shift away from the satisfying of some atavistic preferences and toward the joining with others in some common purpose is what distinguishes human society from the herd.
Autonomy for the individual comes into effect when the individual registers as a member of a collective dedicated to some common purpose. Otherwise the individual might have personal tastes and preferences but it makes little sense to talk about autonomy in a society where it's every man for himself. Higher values redound not to isolated individuals but to the citizens of polities.
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