The "survival of the fittest" is not something to celebrate. We who have survived are the descendents of a long series of events which have brought about the elimination of all other species of homo and the destruction of all other cultures on this Earth. This is a history of barbarism, genocide and brutality. It is amazing given this history, that civilisation is at all civilised. But as Ronald Wright writes ("A short history of progress"), those who live in civilisations do not have any interest in ending it. We benefit from access to books, education and scientific information about our universe which were previously not available to our species.

Wright also reports that after the end of the Neanderthal humans, the dominant Cro-Magnons had an enlightened period of culture including advanced art works and civilised practices such as music and elaborate funerals. It may be that even if they did not interbreed with Neanderthals, but just committed genocide on them, that contact with them brought some of their civilised practices into the culture which followed. Neanderthals were known to have used flower pollen in funeral rites and to look after sick and injured fellows. Life was sacred to them.