There's something else to be said for stable civilizations. The kinds of activities we'd both like to see conducted by our own, the exploration and settlement of the solar system and perhaps of the nearby stellar neighborhood and beyond, are going to require centuries of stability. These are long term projects, and even with advanced technologies, are going to require long-range planning and allocation of resources. Building Oneill colonies, terraforming planets, conducting real exploration of whole other worlds, even communication by radio with other civilizations, all are very long term comittments.
Is it possible to keep a culture vital and vibrant enough to want to conduct these projects, and still be able to systematically marshall and deploy the enormous resources needed to carry them out? In a way, the Egyptians had their own space program. They were going to explore the afterlife, and they were prepared to devote all the material wealth of their civilization in order to do it, for all eternity, if necessary.
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