"[It is] reassuring to read an author so impervious to rhetorical fashion and so eager to champion uncertainty. . . Smil¡¯s book is at its essence a plea for agnosticism, and, believe it or not, humility ? the rarest earth metal of all. His most valuable declarations concern the impossibility of acting with perfect foresight. Living with uncertainty, after all, ¡°remains the essence of the human condition.¡± Even under the most optimistic scenario, the future will not resemble the past. "?The New York Times
"How the World Really Works represents the highly readable distillation of this lifetime of scholarship¡¦ Mr. Smil looks over the horizon of the future with humility and calmness, foreseeing 'a mixture of progress and setbacks, of seemingly insurmountable difficulties and near-miraculous advances.'¡±?Wall Street Journal
¡°The renowned energy scientist ¡¦ aims to [recenter] materials rather than electronic flows of data as the bedrock of modern life ? largely through examining what he calls the four pillars of modern civilization: cement, steel, plastics and ammonia.¡± ?The New York Times Magazine
"A scientific panorama of our well-being and how it can be sustained in our current tumultuous times and beyond. [Smil] aims to combat the widespread ¡°comprehension deficit¡± about basic scientific facts, and he seeks to ¡°explain some of the most fundamental ruling realities governing our survival and our prosperity.¡± That aim is marvelously achieved¡¦[this is] an exceptionally lucid, evenhanded study of the scientific basis of our current and future lives.¡±?Kirkus, STARRED review
Chapter Page
Introduction: Why Do We Need This Book? 1
1. Understanding Energy: Fuels and Electricity 13
2. Understanding Food Production: Eating Fossil Fuels 44
3. Understanding Our Material World: The Four Pillars of Modern Civilization 76
4. Understanding Globalization: Engines, Microchips, and Beyond 103
5. Understanding Risks: From Viruses to Diets to Solar Flares 134
6. Understanding the Environment: The Only Biosphere We Have 168
7. Understanding the Future: Between Apocalypse and Singularity 205
Appendix: Understanding Numbers: Orders of Magnitude 230
References and Notes 235
Acknowledgments 307
Index 309
¹ÙÃú¶óÇÁ ½º¹Ð [Àú]
1943³â üÄÚ ÇÃÁ¦´Ï¿¡¼ ž´Ù. ÇÁ¶óÇÏ Ä«·Ñ¸®´® ´ëÇб³ ÀÚ¿¬°úÇкΠÇùµ¿°úÁ¤À» °ÅÃÄ ¹Ì±¹ Ææ¾Áº£ÀÌ´Ï¾Æ ÁÖ¸³´ëÇб³ Áö±¸ÀÚ¿ø´ëÇп¡¼ ¹Ú»çÇÐÀ§¸¦ ¹Þ¾Ò´Ù. ÇöÀç ij³ª´Ù ¸Å´ÏÅä¹Ù ´ëÇб³ ȯ°æÇкΠƯÈƱ³¼ö¿Í ij³ª´Ù ¿Õ¸³ °úÇоÆÄ«µ¥¹Ì Ưº°È¸¿øÀ¸·Î ÀÖ´Ù. ÁÖ¿ä Àú¼·Î China's Energy, Energy in the Developing World, Biomass Energies, The Bad Earth, Carbon-Nitrogen-Sulfur, General Energetics, Global Ecology, Energy in World History, The Earth's Bioshpere, Energy at the Crossroads, Global Catastrophes and Trends µîÀÌ ÀÖ´Ù.