Oh, it definitely operates by its own logic, and its not my place to say if it's bullshit or not. But I don't think anything you've said necessarily shows them incapable of survival. If anything, manipulation, exploitation, and appealing to those who can defend them precisely are their survival means, yeah? At least a lot of the time.

Rare is the thinking being that doesn't seek its own survival.

[ Lex says all this while mostly scooting some of the more interesting dishes closer to himself. Or at least a little bit of them. Let's go for the sticky chicken next, actually. And maybe the... Barbecue? He doesn't quite get what's up with the lettuce yet so he waits to see how the other is handling it. ]