> but we're also the only species that might be capable of refraining from these natural urges.
We might be able to but there is relatively little evidence of that actually being the case. Theoretically we are perfectly cable of reasoning over 100's of years of time but in practice our life-span is the only thing that we seem to care about.
Probably because we are still animals and are driven primarily by the same impulses as other animals. It takes intent, awareness and conscious effort to rise above these impulses, and it provides little to no benefit to the individual.
Or in other words, it's an instance of the tragedy of the commons, where the "commons" is the future of our species and the planet.
We might be able to but there is relatively little evidence of that actually being the case. Theoretically we are perfectly cable of reasoning over 100's of years of time but in practice our life-span is the only thing that we seem to care about.