Thus Homo sapiens is a species whose individuals are capable of using energy above their physiological needs. It was precisely this fundamentally new capability that added to a human being the qualities that singled him out of the world of all other living beings.
The emergence of a species endowed with the new capability engendered far-reaching consequences. From this point on, a rather slow at first, but a progressively accelerating deviation of the biosphere from its relatively stable state of dynamic equilibrium began. This was followed also by the emergence of processes with positive feedback when any achieved success favors getting new successes. Such processes accelerate the development of an evolving system but reduce its stability. Generally speaking, since the advent of Homo sapiens on the arena of the global evolutionary process, its biological phase gave place to the phase of cultural evolution that is characterized with much greater rate of changes.
It stands to reason that the human capability of using extra energy can be realized, provided that there are available sources. Homo sapiens succeeded in discovering and mastering energy from different sources. All they can be classified into three groups, differing in the character of the interplay between the subject and the object of the interaction. In all cases, the active subject is the same; it is Homo sapiens hungry for additional energy. The objects of his aspiration may belong either to the inanimate world, or to the world of living beings other than he himself, or, finally, that may be his congeners. In the first case, the source of energy, such, for example, as firewood, coal, oil, uranium, etc., is passive and can be exploited by humans within the limits defined by their technical capabilities. Just through this channel the contemporary humankind gains technological energy in amounts covering its physiological needs for tens of times on average, or even for hundreds of times in the developed countries.
7/18/08
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Humankind evolves due to dissipation of Energy
At the very end of the eighteenth century Thomas Malthus had specified the expected difficulties of maintenance the mankind, growing in number, with food. He was denounced since as a reactionary and pessimist, though was neither in fact. He was a sound scholar free from overly optimistic illusions. His warnings have not subsequently proved right not because they were false in principle, but because he could not foresee all the long-term consequences of the Industrial Revolution at its very beginning. Meanwhile the Watt’s steam engine had already been in use for about 30 years, its industrial application swiftly expanding. Thus, the mankind has already entered the new phase of its development characterized with rapid growth of consumption of technological energy. The use of increasing amounts of technological energy allowed overcoming the threat predicted by Malthus, but now, two centuries later, it engenders a lot of new threats for further well-being of humankind. Energy plays undoubtedly a very significant role in the contemporary life of humankind. Anyhow the sharpest political collisions are connected with the problems of energy; trading wars and rather often even the real, “hot” ones, are waging for energy. And all this happens now, in our age of humanity and democracy.
Thus, the analysis of the interrelation between two essences – Energy and Humankind – seems to be relevant. The problem is strongly aggravated, however, because these two essences are the subjects of two different branches of human knowledge, so distant from each other in the ideological and methodological respect that mutual understanding becomes rather difficult. Energy refers to the sphere of natural sciences (physics), whereas Humankind to that of human sciences. In these domains of knowledge, however, people speak in different languages and this is a formidable obstacle. There are the disciplines among the human sciences and the humanities which critically reflect upon the assumptions and principles of natural sciences, considering that their action does not extend into the humanitarian sphere.
It is quite obvious that any attempt to solve the tangle of interrelations in the pair “Energy - Humankind” entails a lot of accompanying questions, which should be cleared preliminary. A list of such questions, by no means a complete one, can be proposed for the beginning as follows:
1. What is Human? What is his fundamental distinction from our animal ancestors?
2. What follows from this distinction?
3. Why humans haven’t succeeded in finding an adequate answer to the first question within more than two millennia?
4. What are the roots of incompatibility of the ways of thinking in the natural sciences and the humanities?
5. What is money?
6. Are the economic processes subject to the laws of thermodynamics?
7. Is Energy the motive power of life of Humankind or Humankind becomes the working substance of a global energy transforming machine that generates entropy?
8. .......
In the book shown at the side strip some of these questions are touched upon.
Thus, the analysis of the interrelation between two essences – Energy and Humankind – seems to be relevant. The problem is strongly aggravated, however, because these two essences are the subjects of two different branches of human knowledge, so distant from each other in the ideological and methodological respect that mutual understanding becomes rather difficult. Energy refers to the sphere of natural sciences (physics), whereas Humankind to that of human sciences. In these domains of knowledge, however, people speak in different languages and this is a formidable obstacle. There are the disciplines among the human sciences and the humanities which critically reflect upon the assumptions and principles of natural sciences, considering that their action does not extend into the humanitarian sphere.
It is quite obvious that any attempt to solve the tangle of interrelations in the pair “Energy - Humankind” entails a lot of accompanying questions, which should be cleared preliminary. A list of such questions, by no means a complete one, can be proposed for the beginning as follows:
1. What is Human? What is his fundamental distinction from our animal ancestors?
2. What follows from this distinction?
3. Why humans haven’t succeeded in finding an adequate answer to the first question within more than two millennia?
4. What are the roots of incompatibility of the ways of thinking in the natural sciences and the humanities?
5. What is money?
6. Are the economic processes subject to the laws of thermodynamics?
7. Is Energy the motive power of life of Humankind or Humankind becomes the working substance of a global energy transforming machine that generates entropy?
8. .......
In the book shown at the side strip some of these questions are touched upon.
1 comment:
The commencement of the phase of cultural evolution was provoked and stimulated by the capability of human to use extra energy. Now we consume energy in increasing amounts. Doesn’t this mean that in future years an availability of energy sources will become one of the main factors, determining the course of human development?
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