more power to ’em

The nature of value and the role of time are recurring themes in Georgescu-Roegen’s work, consistently placing him outside the static, strictly quantitative and monistic approach of neoclassical economics. And his heretical insistence that markets, societies, and ecosystems all share a common dependence on energy and the relentless laws of thermodynamics led him to the unpopular conclusion that modem human society is not sustainable. Shunning even the alternative visions of steady state, appropriate technology, “small is beautiful,” and sustainable development as so much “snake oil” (Georgescu-Roegen 1993b; 1993c), he stubbornly refused to tailor his message for a population infatuated with slogans and sound bites. For Georgescu-Roegen, a realistic view of the entropic nature of existence translated simply into a wise use of resources; by squandering resources needlessly and carelessly, we reduce future choices, shortening the time span of our species. –John Gowdy & Susan Mesner