For some time, I have had it in mind to write about the role of habit in our lives. Habit is largely unconscious: when operating habitually, we are largely unconscious of what we are doing, are on autopilot, so to speak. We like to think that we live consciously and deliberately, but in fact we are basically unconscious or half-conscious for much of our day. It makes me wonder whether this is the root of pop culture’s fascination with zombies: it turns out that