For those who have not read Smil and wondering which book to start with this is the one. As he writes in the introduction, this book is ‘the product of my life’s work, and written for the layperson’. It is, again in his own words, ‘a continuation of my long-lasting quest to understand the basic realities of the biosphere, history, and the world we have created’.
The problem with our ability to understand many of the major problems today is that we tend to focus on the narrow, specific, and immediate problem – for example, the Russian-Ukrainian war. We might begin to look beyond border disputes, and the question as to whether the US had instigated the war, once we begin to see problems in the light of Smil’s book.
One of the many issues arising from the Russian-Ukrainian war is the supply and demand of energy. But what do we know about energy? This is one of the subjects Smil introduces us to in his chapter, understanding energy. From there, he makes a connection from energy to food. And next, he examines the materials such as plastics, steel, and concrete that have such massive impact on our lives. The jump in the use of plastics can be seen in the simple statistic that in 1925, the global production was only 20,000 tons. In 2021 it was 370 million tons.
Smil relates modern utilities and materials such as the smartphones to their historical roots (though ostensibly unconnected) such as the invention of the steam turbine in 1884. Smil has a chapter on environment to complete the matters that matter in our lives. It is an educational exploration in which he tells us not to worry too much about oxygen, but we should worry about water.
Parts of the book appear to be rushed, but overall, it is well-written, highly accessible without scientific or philosophic jargon.
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Top reviews from other countries
sameer
Informative and a must read book for all
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 8 September 2022Verified Purchase
Pliny
The stark reality of rationalism
Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on 7 October 2022Verified Purchase
Muhil
Good work…Different perspectives
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 29 October 2022Verified Purchase
Abhay Kulkarni
The cover of the book is crumpled. Such a let down before even one gets to start reading.
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 18 July 2022Verified Purchase
drphilipk
Reality Pill
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 21 February 2022Verified Purchase
