“What if, perversely, our own militant sense of humanity explains why our technologies end up dehumanizing us? Remember, the guillotine was an Enlightenment technology that supposedly helped “humanely” rid us of reactionaries. The electric chair (obsessively pursued and partially financed by great inventor Thomas Edison) was presented as a humane way to execute those undeserving of life.” writes Gregg Pascal Zachary.

It is one of the more provocative pieces by former Wall Street Journal writer, who is now a professor at   Arizona State University’s School for the Future Innovation.