@Jodami @markarayner I don’t believe we need to take an extreme position of disparaging our ancestors (as I felt the original post did) nor worshipping them uncritically. Yet people in the past were less stupid and benighted than some make out.

Also, give it time and these “dead people” will be us!

I wouldn’t get too smug about the cleverness of the West, either – we are also very effectively destroying the biosphere. I’d say being less narrow-minded may well be helpful to us.