Energy drives the economy economics informs policy and policy affects social outcomes. Since
the oil crises of the 1970s pundits have debated the validity of this sequence but most
economists and politicians still ignore it. Thus they delude the public about the underlying
influence of energy costs and constraints on economic policies that address such pressing
contemporary issues as income inequality growth debt and climate change. To understand why
Carey King explores the scientific and rhetorical basis of the competing narratives both within
and between energy technology and economics. Energy and economic discourse seems to mirror
Newton's 3rd Law of Motion: For every narrative there is an equal and opposite
counter-narrative. The competing energy narratives pit drill baby drill! against renewable
technologies such as wind and solar. Both claim to provide secure reliable clean and
affordable energy to support economic growth with the most benefit to society but how? To
answer this question we need to understand the competing economic narratives techno-optimism
and techno-realism. Techno-optimism claims that innovation overcomes any physical resource
constraints and enables the social outcomes and economic growth we desire. Techno-realism in
contrast states that no matter what energy technologies we use feedbacks from physical growth
on a finite planet constrain economic growth and create an uneven distribution of social
impacts. In The Economic Superorganism you will discover stories data science and
philosophy to guide you through the arguments from competing narratives on energy growth and
policy. You will be able to distinguish the technically possible from the socially viable and
understand how our future depends on this distinction.
