[gbrown]

I'm not 100% sure what you're getting at, but I don't think it really addresses my point. Much of what you've said could be read as just a descriptive reason why the human world is the way it is - no objection there, except to note that I'd hope for better from an "advanced civilization", regardless of what mechanisms were at play. Preferably, a super-majority would be aware of the issues and willing to coordinate extensively to mitigate them for the greater good, but I don't think anyone would argue that we're there yet.

As a stylistic choice, I also have an aversion to dressing up human decision-making in such abstract and flowery terminology. We've invented lots of cool tools for thinking and doing, but we're still simply advanced primates with lots of baggage.