William Powers

Journalist, author

One of the first things we humans do when we find ourselves in the midst of violence and mayhem is go, more or less automatically, into social mode.

Other animals are social, but our social lives have a strong moral underpinning that defines us.

Violence In A Social Age

William Powers: What the Marathon attacks taught me about the relationship between modern technology and being human. In this photo, people react to the explosions at the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (The Daily Free Press, Kenshin Okubo/AP)