Section A03: Energy and Civilization
How does our society use energy today? How has our energy use changed over time? How shall we make smart decisions about future energy use? And what is energy, really? In this seminar, we will take a close look at energy in its various forms, with a focus on how human society uses it. We'll start with some basic physics: the definition of energy, the forms it takes and how it's transformed from one form to another. From there, we'll look at how the use of various forms of energy have shaped the flow of human history, from the dawn of agriculture to the steam era to the nuclear age. We'll also explore our options for present and future energy use, and how those options influence global politics.