Okay. In a form, this view can even be equivalent, if you stick to the same data, a kind of nonparametric view that only recognizes observations. You see this discussion as about summarization of people's behavior (e.g. to implement a policy to which most people would agree), while I see it as about inference of people's hidden wishes behind visible behavior or stated wishes, and maybe as summarization of people's hidden wishes (e.g. to implement a policy that most people would appreciate as it unfolds, but which they won't necessarily agree on at the time).

Note that e.g. signaling can seriously distort the picture of wants seen in behavior.