bwaber@bookwyrm.social reviewed Energy and Civilization by Vaclav Smil
A Rigorous Look at the Changing Nature of Energy in Human History
4 stars
You have got to love a book that cites multiple 18th century primary sources and compares their merits on water wheel power output and efficiency. Up through the early 20th century, Smil brings that rigor to bear on unpacking the nature of human energy expenditure and usage through the millennia, providing a unique lens onto different phases of human history and technological development. He also shows just how rapid the energy usage and efficiency gains have been in the last ~250 years.
Unfortunately that same rigor isn't brought to more recent issues, with most developments in the last ~100 years being subject to wild guesses and surprisingly inaccurate characterizations (e.g. "the Toyota Production System was just scientific management"). On top of that, the nearly complete omission of slavery and colonization, despite expounding at length on human labor energy and resource extraction, is pretty much inexcusable.
With that in mind, if …
You have got to love a book that cites multiple 18th century primary sources and compares their merits on water wheel power output and efficiency. Up through the early 20th century, Smil brings that rigor to bear on unpacking the nature of human energy expenditure and usage through the millennia, providing a unique lens onto different phases of human history and technological development. He also shows just how rapid the energy usage and efficiency gains have been in the last ~250 years.
Unfortunately that same rigor isn't brought to more recent issues, with most developments in the last ~100 years being subject to wild guesses and surprisingly inaccurate characterizations (e.g. "the Toyota Production System was just scientific management"). On top of that, the nearly complete omission of slavery and colonization, despite expounding at length on human labor energy and resource extraction, is pretty much inexcusable.
With that in mind, if you can get over those issues and skip the sections on the modern world, I highly recommend the book.