Book Post 18 : The Third Industrial Revolution by Jeremy Rifkin

Book Name : The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is transforming Energy, The Economy and the World.

Author : Jeremy Rifkin

Genre : Non-Fiction

 
What is it about? : The book outlines the concept that the present Energy regime is outdated and that the World needs a Third Industrial Revolution which will be lead by the Mix of Renewable Energy and Internet Technologies.  

How I came to read it :  It was listed as one of the best books to read about our Energy Future. So I got it from UBC (University of British Columbia) library with the help of a friend.  

Did I like it? 

Not much. Though the book presents some brilliant concepts and a vision of the future, the whole of the book could have been condensed into a shorter read. It drifts away from the main topic quite a lot and add to that the boastful tone of the author only made it irritating at some points. Twice I thought I should stop reading but I completed it anyway. And I am glad I did. The overall concept of the book is good. It presents a model of planning and how things should be done as we move into a climate emergency affected world. A lot of jurisdictions have already adopted the The Third Industrial Revolution model outlined in the book. The model has 5 main pillars, the adoption of which, the author says will revolutionize our lives. 

Two main points stick out. One is the combination of Internet technologies and Energy. He says whenever a communication regime combines with a energy source, revolutions happen. Both the previous revolutions are good examples of this. Second is the change in way of doing things. From the traditional top down structure to lateral. More emphasis on collaboration and group work than on single individual work. 

Overall an okay read. Though a simple essay could have captured all the ideas presented instead of a narrative that meanders its way through this book. 

But the biggest bonus for me was the section of Thermodynamics. The below lines are the best part. 

''Albert Einstein once pondered the question of which laws of science were the least likely to be overthrown or seriously modified by future generations of scientists. He concluded that the first and second laws of Thermodynamics were most likely to withstand the test of time. 

He wrote:
A theory is more impressive the greater is the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates and the more extended its range of applicability. Therefore, the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made on me. It is the only physical theory of universal content which I am convinced, that within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts, will never be overthrown.''