The technological age in which we live is founded, among other things, on an analytical way of understanding the world. At the risk of over-simplification, reality is broken into discrete parts which can be understood in isolation from each other. For certain problem types, it is a very useful way of thinking that has produced many beneficial results. That success needs to be frankly acknowledged — as it has contributed enormously, if unevenly, to human welfare. But, like all that we human beings do, an analytic way of thinking is not perfect and it has drawbacks. For example, the creation of an item of technology to solve a certain problem sometimes results…