Further Inquiries on Value Incrementalism

We know some viruses and bacteria can be very difficult to eradicate. Could this be representative of an impassioned will to continue their existence? Do they value their existence so highly that they fight and mutate so tenaciously to ensure their genetic material will continue to manifest? Or is it just the inherent biological drive to survive as an individual and as a species that all life shares? Or can Peirce’s principle of self-perpetuating order be expanded to accurately represent the orderly physical manifestation of the evolutionary process of life forms?

I think many nonhuman animals display equal and at times greater attention spans, patience, and nurturance than human animals. I also believe that many nonhuman animals, particularly mammals and birds, have complex and social relationships and communication systems.
We know many species of birds and mammals as well as crocodiles and alligators store food at caches for future use when food is scarce. Would we categorize this as long-term planning?

I agree that forms of empathetic friendships are more useful for informing our understanding of moral relations than the parent-child nurturance paradigm, particularly in relationships between human animals. I think the empathetic friendship paradigm can be easily applied to all inter-species workable social relationships.