[New Release] How Has Modern Society Been Formed? 'Great Transformation' by Vaclav Smil

[Photo by Vaclav Smil]

All the necessities of life we enjoy?industry, transportation, communication, food, medical services?are the fruits of accumulated achievements from the past. No one believes that modern civilization simply fell from the sky. However, when trying to explain "what caused the current state of affairs," it is difficult to know where to start. The discovery of fire? The transition from nomadic life to agricultural society? The Industrial Revolution? The spread and development of the Internet? It is hard to converge on just one explanation. In his book The Great Transition, Vaclav Smil (Emeritus Professor of Environmental Geography at the University of Manitoba, Canada) argues that it was due to an "unprecedented transition" and explains the five great turning points humanity has faced.

Professor Vaclav Smil is an environmental scientist and economic historian who has researched diverse fields including energy, environment, food, population, economy, history, and public policy. He currently advises various international organizations including the EU and the United States. He was selected as one of the "100 Global Thinkers" by the American foreign policy magazine Foreign Policy, and in recognition of his contributions to energy and environmental policy, he became the first non-American to receive the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) "Public Understanding of Science and Technology Award."

Originally known as an "expert among experts," public interest in him grew after Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, reviewed his books on his YouTube channel and blog, Gates Notes, calling him his "favorite author."

The Great Transition consists of seven chapters covering an overview of the great transition, population, food, energy, economy, environment, and future prospects. The environmental section is especially recommended for those interested in ESG, sustainable growth, decarbonization, and carbon neutrality. The highlight of the book is the future section, where the author states, "Unlike what many future prediction models dream of, the future remains unknown." He criticizes both the pessimists who lean toward apocalyptic views and the optimists who advocate infinite growth. Furthermore, he maintains a thoroughly moderate stance, saying, "As we have done so far, we will continue to live in a world where expanding creativity and incomprehensible delays, effective adaptation and frustrating failures are intricately intertwined."

[Written by Vaclav Smil / Translated by Sophee / Cheoeumbooks / 516 pages (book cover)]

In The Great Transition, the author focuses on historical data. Given the vast amount of material covered and the narrative style, the book is admittedly somewhat challenging. However, readers who prefer weighty, so-called "brick books" may find it worth the challenge. For readers who enjoyed Yuval Harari's Homo Deus, Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now, and Hans Rosling's Factfulness, one of the pleasures of Vaclav Smil's The Great Transition is that he directly references these authors and critiques the blind spots in their arguments.