How the World Really Works

The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going

De: Vaclav Smil

Narrado por: Stephen Perring

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A new masterpiece from one of my favorite authors… [How The World Really Works] is a compelling and highly readable book that leaves readers with the fundamental grounding needed to help solve the world’s toughest challenges.”—Bill Gates

“Provocative but perceptive . . . You can agree or disagree with Smil—accept or doubt his ‘just the facts’ posture—but you probably shouldn’t ignore him.”—The Washington Post

An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish.

We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.

In this ambitious and thought-provoking book we see, for example, that globalization isn’t inevitable—the foolishness of allowing 70 per cent of the world’s rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020—and that our societies have been steadily increasing their dependence on fossil fuels, such that any promises of decarbonization by 2050 are a fairy tale. For example, each greenhouse-grown supermarket-bought tomato has the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel embedded in its production, and we have no way of producing steel, cement or plastics at required scales without huge carbon emissions.

Ultimately, Smil answers the most profound question of our age: are we irrevocably doomed or is a brighter utopia ahead? Compelling, data-rich and revisionist, this wonderfully broad, interdisciplinary guide finds faults with both extremes. Looking at the world through this quantitative lens reveals hidden truths that change the way we see our past, present and uncertain future.

©2022 Vaclav Smil (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[It is] reassuring to read an author so impervious to rhetorical fashion and so eager to champion uncertainty. . . Smil’s book is at its essence a plea for agnosticism, and, believe it or not, humility — the rarest earth metal of all. His most valuable declarations concern the impossibility of acting with perfect foresight. Living with uncertainty, after all, “remains the essence of the human condition.” Even under the most optimistic scenario, the future will not resemble the past. "—The New York Times

“The renowned energy scientist … aims to [recenter] materials rather than electronic flows of data as the bedrock of modern life — largely through examining what he calls the four pillars of modern civilization: cement, steel, plastics and ammonia.” —The New York Times Magazine

"A scientific panorama of our well-being and how it can be sustained in our current tumultuous times and beyond. [Smil] aims to combat the widespread “comprehension deficit” about basic scientific facts, and he seeks to “explain some of the most fundamental ruling realities governing our survival and our prosperity.” That aim is marvelously achieved…[this is] an exceptionally lucid, evenhanded study of the scientific basis of our current and future lives.”—Kirkus, STARRED review

A good documentary

Is a good and short essay about the energy sources and materials that fuels the civilization, but doesn't have the complexity that the title announced.

Excellent

It’s really nice to read something based on reality and statistics without political influence. I’d recommend it.

Must read

I never read a book so rich in information about the world. This is an eye opener

The reality perspective

Truly enjoyed the scientific point of view. A perspective to weigh a pathway for the future.

great overview of our modern situation

hard to hear the bleak statistics, but there is also room for hope. must read for living humans

Worth the time

General knowledge everyone should know. It’s a bit dry for most people, but it shouldn’t be.

Irritating

While I'm very sympathetic to Smil's point of view and basic insights, his wordy and needlessly pedantic treatment starts to grate almost from the start. He's got a very strong pitch to make but unfortunately he's not its best champion because he insists on losing the reader (listener) in a blizzard of data rather than framing his points more broadly and with only selected headline numbers. Yes, his method demonstrates his mastery of large subject areas, but being overly scholarly, and jamming every sentence with endlessly fussy locutions, does little to engage the reader around his important points. Moreover, Smil fails to set a framework for understanding his Goldilocks approach (neither too pessimistic nor too optimistic) so that a reader not already aligned with Smil's "reality" viewpoint would be left wondering what to believe: namely, are fears of existential risk blown out of all proportion by idiotic media and politicians? (yes); or are we doomed by our collective inability to organize constructive responses to those same existential risks? (also yes). I get it, there is an argument to make that can resolve this conflict, but Smil doesn't make it. Like I said, irritating.

Interesting and informative perspective

informative view of the big factors and processes that guid our world today. A broad view of interconnected factors that guide our lives, from mass use of materials to how society handles changes.

A book of understanding

Have you ever wondered how the world actually works? Complicated question - right? This book does a great job at answering this difficult question with an explanation of the basics of energy balance in the world and the life cycle of all things that form the infrastructure of the world. The author encourages us to think logically and rationally when thinking about predictions, and about certainties. The book heavily centers on our current dependence on fossil fuels in ways that we usually have not imagined. The book gives us a realistic picture of the difficulties with changing the energy sources of our modern day lives, but also gives us hope about how mankind is likely to emerge out of not just the climate crisis but other existential ones too. Wonderfully researched and well expressed book!

A must read.

Vaclav Smil is one of the smartest people alive. He understands the foundations and operational mechanics of civilization as well as anyone.