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In our cushy rich modern societies, there's a lot of room between survival and ethical behaviour.

If "survival" only means continued metabolism and respiration, yes.

But I submit that "survival" means more than just that. We're human beings, so for us, survival requires independent thought, art, science, honesty, self-esteem, productive work, and a whole lot more.

I'd call that "independent thought, art, science, honesty, self-esteem, productive work", and keep the definition of survival close to something like "You're heart's still beating.".

But the problem with your definition is that if we go by it, human survival in the long-term is not included.

Your mind's independent thought is ultimately the thing that ensures that your heart keeps beating. Without it, there will come a point where you can't keep making the things you need to stay alive physically.

I understand where you're coming from, but not everyone has the same ethical sense that you do. I think you would be hard pressed to say that people without those things (art, science, productive work, honesty, etc.) are not surviving. Maybe they aren't thriving... but that's different.

I think Maslow's heirarchy of needs is pretty relevant here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs

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