It is inconceivable that a judicious observer from another solar system would see in our species ― which has tended to be cruel, destructive, wasteful, and irrational ― the crown and apex of cosmic evolution. Viewing us as the culmination of *anything* is grotesque; viewing us as a transitional species makes more sense ― and gives us more hope. ― Betty McCollister, "Our Transitional Species", Free Inquiry magazine, Vol. 8, No. 1