A little too much anthropomorphizing in both views, I think.

Evolution is a tough process, and what may be fittest for one condition might not be fittest for another. It says a lot about advanced life that so many catastrophes have happened and yet whaddaya know, here we are, and unlike previous eras, we now have a species that can stop asteroids.

In the Discworld books, people would call Rincewind a "survivor," or "lucky." Rincewind would angrily respond that he had nearly been killed dozens of times.

Which is, of course, the point.

Maybe we need a Rincewind Theory.

On the other hand, in some books Rincewind's survival was because somebody was looking out for him...