If energy were free, like air

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Tuesday, May 15. 2007

If energy were free, like air

At dinner�on Friday�night I was talking�with a friend about fusion as a power source.�He told me that he had had a conversation about energy with physicist and Benedictine priest Stanley Jaki.

In that conversation, Jaki posed this question: If energy were endlessly�abundant and free, what would life be like, what would people do, and what would matter to people?

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 06:13 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

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Energy is already almost free, in a sense. It all comes as a gift from Mr. Sun, ultimately (except nuclear - I mean nucular). Somebody has to process it a bit, and bring it to us, but cheap and easy energy is a foundation of the way that we already live in the US.

Imagine having to gather sticks for heat and fuel.

#1 The Barrister on 2007-05-15 08:22 (Reply)

Fair point. But how about endless, entirely free? What would it change?

#2 BD on 2007-05-15 09:26 (Reply)

Who says nuclear power doesn't come from stars? All the elements except hydrogen, helium, and in tiny traces, lithium are the results of supernovae, which are the death throes of stars. That's where uranium comes from. All the elements in our bodies come from that source as well. We all have "star stuff" in us. We make trans-uranic elements in reactors and accellerators, but it's all done with elements and energy that originated in star activity...

#3 M. Murcek on 2007-05-15 11:23 (Reply)

And, not to get side-tracked, but, if energy were totally free, we'd use it to make really nice stuff that some people would point to as an excuse for killing us. We'd live longer. We'd also go to the stars, meet new and interesting creatures, some of which (whom?) would want to kill, eat or enslave us. We'd probably find both the "Eden" planet and the "ugly planet, a bug planet." As the wag once said, it'd be "same old tears on a new background..."

#4 M. Murcek on 2007-05-15 11:30 (Reply)

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Tuesday, May 15. 2007

If energy were free, like air