Man is a technological species, and if the archeological record is any indication, always has been. Strictly speaking, we are not alone in that. Most birds build nests out of twigs. Rabbits dig burrows in the ground. Elaborate structures are made by such insects as termites and bees. Beavers build dams. Chimpanzees use sticks to get at things that their hands can't reach, like tasty ants inside a rotting tree.

The reason our world is so over-engineered is because we underestimate the direct utility of life -- both biosphere and ourselves. By treating the resulting degradation as yet another engineering problem we only make matters worse. Our overriding concern to satisfy mind and body leads us to reach for technology when natural solutions are more appropriate. This preoccupation with the mental and the physical is mistaken and is rooted in the failure to recognize the value of action and the nature of reality.