i don't believe empathy has anything to do with intelligence, i.e. being 'smarter' we're (allegedly) the most intelligent species ont he planet, but i often find us the least empathetic.

empathy could help us as a species if it were more prevalent, but unless it becomes strong enough to override our territorial and warlike nature then i don't see how it can stop us eventually turning the world into a big bunch of goo and us with it.

personally, i would like to see humans extinct. i believe very strongly that insects would become the next domninant species. with some of them adopting hive societies and others creating a natural equilibrium with their environment, the world would be far better off in their....hands. though 'hands' is probably a speciesist term the analogy would be lacking in eloquence if i substituted 'feelers' or 'chitinous talons'.

for the record, no i'm not joking. i do want to see humans become extinct as soon as absolutely possible. i chose insects as the next dominant species because they are so varied, numerous, and adaptible.