[something765478]

> up is better than down

Makes sense; up gives you a better vantage point, so its easier to see danger. Not to mention that it gives you a fighting advantage; your attacker would have to run uphill to get to you, tiring them out.

> light is better than dark

Humans rely heavily on our sight, and we tend to operate in the daytime. If you were a nocturnal animal, I'm sure you would consider dark to be better than light.

> positive is better than negative

Getting something is better than giving it away.

> I would go as far as to add the male/female asymmetry to this: seemingly senseless, yet historically present

What do you mean by this?