That sounds right. There are surely conservative, tribal instincts at play here that make life harder for innovators and thought reformers.

The question about long-term survival is interesting. Can we even collectively pursue such long-term goals or are we still too animalistic, going where the wind and our instincts take us? Exceptional intellectuals can ponder big picture problems, but that doesn't mean most people care or that these intellectuals have the power to change much.

It may come down to a battle between billionaires (like Musk, Murdoch, and Koch), like the "Houses" in a Dune dystopia, giant corporations dwarfing governments and competing to shape humanity with little democratic input.