We're really discussing how probable it is for a large brained organism to develop for which complex language is feasible, since that's the most obvious route to technology. If we consider that the nominal top of ladder after which random traits and mutation tend to take orders of magnitude longer to produce useful traits than innovation does... like developing coats and houses as opposed to mutating thicker fur... I think we can meaningful use the concept. The threads not really about evolution so bogging down on it doesn't achieve much. Though honestly I think Aerocontrols gave the best criticism of the article thus far, I brought up evolutionary ladder just as a reminder that the more obvious routes to an a species with a tech culture are not likely to be incredibly harmonious and peaceful.

The core point I was trying to get at was that a tech culture would tend to lean toward applauding efficiency and likely in the context of increasing their own numbers and improving their lot, since they'd naturally tend to be survival oriented and that's basically what tech is for, the conscious application of knowledge to do what otherwise is only achieved by thousands of generation of slow selection for beneficial mutation. I could see certain tendencies to trend toward certain ethical systems, such as a value for intelligence or creativity, but I think it's a big stretch to assume effective militant environmentalism would be the norm. Mostly though, I can't really see anyone getting to even the low end of spacefaring without having used fossil fuels at some point, since they'd be virtually inevitable to be around and give a big leg up to whichever part of the civilization decided to use them, making it a dubious proposition they'd turn xenocidal on anyone using them, except under the 'interstellar prick' clause where it's just a cheap excuse to wipe out possible competition... in which case their alleged moral superiority seems fairly irrelevant. One also can't hep but point out that the theoretical space hippies would apparently place great value on the diversity of life, which would make truly massive efforts at interstellar acts of genocide seem rather out of character.