> If they're meant as instructions for a post-apocalypse society, presumably the other 5.5B would already have been wiped out.
What if they haven't?
Also, it's unclear why survivors would take such writings seriously. After all, they were a product of a society that failed massively.
More important, what are the odds that the survivors would be receptive to such teachings?
The "survivability" of different value systems depends on context. And, in the event of a rapid collapse, the folks who are most likely to survive are outliers. I'd expect farmers and ranchers to be far more likely to survive than urbanists. (Yes, some of the REI crowd will do okay.)
As a crude measure, rural counties will do much better than urban ones. Notice which are red and which are blue.
"It's unclear why survivors would take such writings seriously. After all, they were a product of a society that failed massively."
Take a look at http://downlode.org/Etext/WIPP/. It contains proposals for a universal way of saying "Danger! Don't dig / enter here!" to inhabitants of the future without relying on language. Such markers would be used to warn against entering contaminated sites like the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility, etc.
Here's what I'd surmise if I encountered a monument of this magnitude in post-apocalyptic Georgia circa 10000 AD:
1) Unlike some of the proposed designs given for the WIPP above, the monument does not contain jutting spikes or other hostile/inflammatory looking structures or colors. This suggests that it is somewhat safe to be near and I would not be in any immediate danger.
2) Even though I'm not an engineer, I could at gather that the construction of the monument employed sufficiently advanced technology--technology that probably doesn't exist anymore, along with said knowledge--in its construction. The thing is made of multi-ton slabs of granite that are cut at precise angles. It obviously took a certain degree of sophistication to build.
3) Assuming I cannot read any of the languages on the monument itself, I could at least deduce that the markings on the slabs are representative of different languages based on the regularity and placement of the symbols. Since the creator took the pains of inscribing some message all over the surface of the slabs, it must have some importance.
Just because the intended audience may not understand the exact content of the message, it would at least suggest an air of importance about it, and in time, push for actual study of it.
> Since the creator took the pains of inscribing some message all over the surface of the slabs, it must have some importance.
That describes the writings on every ancient artifact.
While there is a Rosecrucian Museum in San Jose, I think that it's reasonably safe to say that few people take the writings in pyramids as a guide to life today. Sure, they're "important", but ....
Or, we gradually scale back the world's population using vasectomies and one-child families. Not realistic, maybe, but global population control doesn't necessarily require a big die-off. The exponential growth cycle has to stop some time, and the natural method ain't pretty.
OK, there are 6 billion humans on the planet now. What plan do these do-gooders intend for the 5.5 B "surplus population"?