(ShB Spoilers) Didn't Hydaelyn, uh...

[Absimiliard]

When it happens again, they wouldn't be able to solve their own problems. Again. And their civilization will collapse. Again.

The collapse of their civilization was a direct result of a sound from inside the planet driving their powers out of control. Their loss of control created a self-sustaining cycle with their growing fear wherein their powers went from uncontrolled to running completely rampant. Zodiark dealt with the cause of the sound as part of his initial summoning.

Usually the result of some terrible flaw, which is why you don't want a carbon copy restored.

A civilization that survived for eons without any discernible conflict is significantly less flawed than the petty, selfish creatures inhabiting the world today.

Moral relativism. Civilizations that completely destroyed themselves from their own conflict are worse then civilizations that have endured multiple conflicts.

Their civilization was only destroyed after countless tragedies befell them. And even then, it took a minority of their remaining population deciding to summon what was essentially a light-themed Zodiark copy to actually finalize their downfall. We've no clue how much time passed between Zodiark's first and second summonings, let alone when the Convocation decided it appropriate to sacrifice countless lesser lifeforms to revive their sapient brethren.


As for moral relativism, that's actually kind of key to seeing the overarching plots from both sides at this point. Expecting wholly alien life - which Ascians would certainly qualify as - to operate off of the same set of morals and balances as we do is quite unreasonable. Emet-Selch views current extant Spoken races as broken, flawed shells of what they originally were. He considers them to be little more than insects in the grand scheme - and to the eyes of an immortal being with near-godlike power, that may actually be a valid point of view. It's a lot easier to destroy something if you see it as a non-entity. Here in the real world we don't hesitate to swat a fly, after all. Granted that fly can't carry on a conversation with us, but the comparison is largely the same in terms of actual power and knowledge.