Civilized vs savage societal leanings

* Every animal has primitive drives to spread its DNA indefinitely.  In the wild, those drives are appropriately unrestrained; savagery is appropriate.  Hoping to avoid gratuitous harm, humans can agree to bridle those drives through family life, religion, education and coercion.   That is, we can try to be civilized rather than savage, though tribal drives still loom.
* I often imagine societies dwelling and shifting on a continuum between savage and civilized, being pushed toward one end or the other by circumstances, activism and leaders.  Liberals typically push toward civilized, and conservatives typically push toward savage.  Too far in either direction may be harmful, impractical or unstable.
* More savage is a wider distribution of population on the contentment spectrum as results from unbridled capitalism, slavery, segregation, conquest, racism.  More civilized is a narrower distribution of population on the contentment spectrum, as results from progressive income tax, inheritance tax, earned-income credit, food stamps, housing subsidies, infrastructure buildout, public education, Social Security, MediCare, MedicAid, ObamaCare.
* Civilized is caring for future generations via environmental defense and resource-sparing regulations, solving social unrest by systematic sharing.  Savage is solving social unrest by faster conversion of nonrenewable resources to already bountiful products.
* Savage is unjustified military threat or action, also unrestrained population growth.  Civilized is mutual respect among individuals and groups different by race, language, myth or geography -- eventually responsible family planning.
  * Civilized is aesthetic leisure activities but condemnation of opulence.   Savage may be more attractive and satisfying than civilized, judging from the popularity of brutal sports, McMansions and shopping.
* Savage is believing that the poor need more suffering to incentivize responsibility.  Civilized is seeking the least suffering consistent with satisfying society’s needs.
  * Civilized is curiosity, insatiable quest for objective truth.  Savage is certainty, satisfaction with myth or conventional wisdom.
  * Civilized are Richard Feynman and the Obama family.  Savage are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and DJ Trump.