For my 'Business in a Global Society' class, I've developed the following rubric for determining something's social value:
  1. Does it foster open competition of ideas, businesses, people?
  2. Does it uphold the equal protection and application of the Law?
Essentially, if the game is well-refereed, innovation will be prized by those who think they're going to lose. We want everyone to innovate, because the more heads we have working on Our Problems, the better off we are.