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Author: Geerat Vermeij
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691250391
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
A sweeping new account of the role of power in the evolution of all life on Earth Power has many dimensions, from individual attributes such as strength and speed to the collective advantages of groups. The Evolution of Power takes readers on a breathtaking journey across history and the natural world, revealing how the concept of power unifies a vast range of phenomena in the evolution of life—and how natural selection has placed humanity and the planet itself on a trajectory of ever-increasing power. Drawing on evidence from fossils, living organisms, and contemporary society, Geerat Vermeij documents increases in power at all scales, from body size, locomotor performance, and the use of force in competition to efficiency in production and consumption within ecosystems. He shows how power—which he defines as the rate at which organisms acquire and apply energy—is tied to the emergence of cooperation, and how the modern economy, which for the first time has established a monopoly over the biosphere by a single species, is a continuation of evolutionary trends stretching back to the dawn of life. Vermeij persuasively argues that we can find solutions to the many problems arising from this extreme concentration of power by broadening our exclusively human-centered perspective. A masterful work by one of today’s most innovative and forward-thinking naturalists, The Evolution of Power offers a new understanding of our place in the grand sweep of evolutionary history.
Author: Geerat Vermeij
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691250391
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264
Get Book Here
Book Description
A sweeping new account of the role of power in the evolution of all life on Earth Power has many dimensions, from individual attributes such as strength and speed to the collective advantages of groups. The Evolution of Power takes readers on a breathtaking journey across history and the natural world, revealing how the concept of power unifies a vast range of phenomena in the evolution of life—and how natural selection has placed humanity and the planet itself on a trajectory of ever-increasing power. Drawing on evidence from fossils, living organisms, and contemporary society, Geerat Vermeij documents increases in power at all scales, from body size, locomotor performance, and the use of force in competition to efficiency in production and consumption within ecosystems. He shows how power—which he defines as the rate at which organisms acquire and apply energy—is tied to the emergence of cooperation, and how the modern economy, which for the first time has established a monopoly over the biosphere by a single species, is a continuation of evolutionary trends stretching back to the dawn of life. Vermeij persuasively argues that we can find solutions to the many problems arising from this extreme concentration of power by broadening our exclusively human-centered perspective. A masterful work by one of today’s most innovative and forward-thinking naturalists, The Evolution of Power offers a new understanding of our place in the grand sweep of evolutionary history.
Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536161
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 564
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Book Description
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.
Author: Fereidoon Sioshansi
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0123979064
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 867
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Book Description
Get the latest on rapidly evolving global electricity markets direct from the scholars andthought leaders who are shaping reform. In this volume, dozens of world-class expertsfrom diverse regions provide a comprehensive assessment of the relevant issues intoday’s electricity markets. Amid a seething backdrop of rising energy prices, concerns about environmentaldegradation, and the introduction of distributed sources and smart grids, increasinglystringent demands are being placed on the electric power sector to provide a morereliable, efficient delivery infrastructure, and more rational, cost-reflective prices. Thisbook maps out the electric industry’s new paradigms, challenges and approaches,providing invaluable global perspective on this host of new and pressing issues beinginvestigated by research institutions worldwide. Companies engaged in the powersector’s extensive value chain including utilities, generation, transmission & distributioncompanies, retailers, suppliers, regulators, market designers, and the investment &financial rating community will benefit from gaining a more nuanced understanding ofthe impacts of key market design and restructuring choices. How can problems beavoided? Why do some restructured markets appear to function better than others?Which technological implementations represent the best investments? Whichregulatory mechanisms will best support these new technologies? What lessons canbe learned from experiences in Norway, Australia, Texas, or the U.K.? Thesequestions and many more are undertaken by the brightest minds in the industry in thisone comprehensive, cutting-edge resource. Features a unique global perspective from more than 40 recognized experts and scholars around the world, offering opportunities to compare and contrast a wide range of market structures Analyzes how the implementation of existing and developing market designs impacts real-world issues such as pricing and reliability Explains the latest thinking on timely issues such as current market reform proposals, restructuring, liberalization, privatization, capacity and energy markets, distributed and renewable energy integration, competitive generation and retail markets, and disaggregated vs. vertically integrated systems
Author: Leonardo Meeus
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1789905478
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 192
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Book Description
Bridging theory and practice, this book offers insights into how Europe has experienced the evolution of modern electricity markets from the end of the 1990s to the present day. It explores defining moments in the process, including the four waves of European legislative packages, landmark court cases, and the impact of climate strikes and marches.
Author: Donovan O. Schaefer
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 0822374900
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 290
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Book Description
In Religious Affects Donovan O. Schaefer challenges the notion that religion is inextricably linked to language and belief, proposing instead that it is primarily driven by affects. Drawing on affect theory, evolutionary biology, and poststructuralist theory, Schaefer builds on the recent materialist shift in religious studies to relocate religious practices in the affective realm—an insight that helps us better understand how religion is lived in conjunction with systems of power. To demonstrate religion's animality and how it works affectively, Schaefer turns to a series of case studies, including the documentary Jesus Camp and contemporary American Islamophobia. Placing affect theory in conversation with post-Darwinian evolutionary theory, Schaefer explores the extent to which nonhuman animals have the capacity to practice religion, linking human forms of religion and power through a new analysis of the chimpanzee waterfall dance as observed by Jane Goodall. In this compelling case for the use of affect theory in religious studies, Schaefer provides a new model for mapping relations between religion, politics, species, globalization, secularism, race, and ethics.
Author: Benjamin Kidd
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Civilization
Languages : en
Pages : 310
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Book Description
Author: Jami Hossain
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527542424
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
Sometime around three million years ago, the first hominid walked on this planet. In the time which has elapsed since then, the descendant of this biped has evolved to reach the top of the food chain. Furthermore, it has manipulated other lifeforms and Earth’s resources in a manner that makes these entirely subservient to only one species, homo sapiens. In a period less than 0.007% of Earth’s age, man has dramatically altered both the biosphere and the climate. This text argues that intelligent manipulation of ‘energy’ is at the heart of human supremacy. Energy is intertwined in an intricate manner with everything that happens around us. From the very beginning, nearly three million years ago, up until today, the human race has evolved and progressed by gaining mastery and control over energy. This book presents an insightful description of the evolution of human civilization from an energy perspective, showing that ‘energy’ is the vehicle that has catapulted the human race to a commanding position on Earth. From rudimentary Stone Age tools to classical physics, from animal power to the steam engine, and from relativity and quantum theory to geo-politics and climate change, drawing upon multiple disciplines, it weaves a fascinating story of the history of “energy” in human civilization. It also discusses the “dark side” of energy, exemplified by climate change, pollution, and deforestation, which is compelling modern human civilization to once again go into an energy transition mode, as well as those forms of energy which can counteract such forces: renewable and smart energy and their associated innovations.
Author: Leonard Shlain
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101200391
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 468
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Book Description
As in the bestselling The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain’s provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from. Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human female’s pelvis and the increasing size of infants’ heads precipitated a crisis for the species. Natural selection allowed for the adaptation of the human female to this environmental stress by reconfiguring her hormonal cycles, entraining them with the periodicity of the moon. The results, however, did much more than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sex—a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history. From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlain’s brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.
Author: Viktor Schauberger
Publisher: Gill Books
ISBN: 9781858600611
Category : Renewable energy sources
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
This final volume in the Eco-technology series deals with generation of energy using Nature's enormous potential.
Author: Thomas Parke Hughes
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801846144
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 492
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Book Description
Awarded the Dexter Prize by the Society for the History of Technology, this book offers a comparative history of the evolution of modern electric power systems. It described large-scale technological change and demonstrates that technology cannot be understood unless placed in a cultural context.
