Overview

Energy-Substrate Scaling proposes a unified theory of technological progress, arguing that breakthroughs, from steam engines to AI, remain inert until paired with an energy substrate capable of sustaining them. History's decisive transitions (agrarian → industrial, fossil → post-carbon) were not driven by invention alone, but by energy surpluses meeting critical EROI thresholds. The book examines: Novelty, Synergy, Transformation - Why some technologies scale (steam + coal) while others fail (Hero's aeolipile) Collapse as Energy Descent - How Rome and Ming China unraveled when their energy substrates degraded Future Dilemmas - Why AI, quantum computing, and fusion face thermodynamic limits in a declining-EROI world By integrating anthropology, complexity theory, and energy economics, this framework offers a lens for predicting which technologies will thrive-and which are doomed by energy realities.

Full Product Details

9798241071248

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Countries Available