To determine the “preferences” of objects which you are modeling as agents, see what occurs, and construct a preference function that explains those occurrences.
Example: This amoeba appears to be engaging in a diverse array of activities which I do not understand at all, but they all end up resulting in the maintenance of its physical body. I will therefore model it as “preferring not to die”, and use that model to make predictions about how the amoeba will respond to various situations.
To determine the “preferences” of objects which you are modeling as agents, see what occurs, and construct a preference function that explains those occurrences.
Example: This amoeba appears to be engaging in a diverse array of activities which I do not understand at all, but they all end up resulting in the maintenance of its physical body. I will therefore model it as “preferring not to die”, and use that model to make predictions about how the amoeba will respond to various situations.