Energy and Equity
By Ivan Illich
1973
First Published
4.04
Average Rating
95
Number of Pages
A junkie without access to his stash is in a state of crisis. The 'energy crisis' that exists intermittently when the flow of fuel from unstable countries is cut off or threatened, is a crisis in the same sense. In this essay, Illich examines the question of whether or not humans need any more energy than is their natural birthright. Along the way he gives a startling analysis of the marginal disutility of tools. After a certain point, that is, more energy gives negative returns. For example, moving around causes loss of time proportional to the amount of energy which is poured into the transport system, so that the speed of the fastest traveller correlates inversely to the equality as well as freedom of the median traveller.
Avg Rating
4.04
Number of Ratings
340
5 STARS
41%
4 STARS
33%
3 STARS
18%
2 STARS
8%
1 STARS
1%
goodreads
Author
Ivan Illich
Author · 17 books
Ivan Illich was an Austrian philosopher, Roman Catholic priest and critic of the institutions of contemporary western culture and their effects of the provenance and practice of education, medicine, work, energy use, and economic development.
