文化・能源・生活方式--评戴维・奈的《消费能源：美国能源的社会史》

摘要

在众多“能源与社会”的论著中，戴维・奈的《消费能源：美国能源的社会史》，从文化和社会建构的视角，系统地描述了美国能源体系的六次转型，并生动细致地描绘了能源塑造的现代生活，也对技术的社会后果展开讨论。本书的构思与写作，正值美国20世纪70年代石油危机爆发后，公众开始对建立在高能耗经济的消费社会进行批判和反思。如何将化石能源转变成低能耗和环境友好的新能源，也成为本书的核心关注议题之一。如今，新的电子能源（ electronic energy）替代化石能源的趋势已经变得越来越明显，但第六次能源转变的动力依然没有获得很好解释。评论和解读本书的意义，不仅在于了解美国能源体系演变的知识，也能够促进我们思考自己的能源问题。%Among articles and manuscript on″energy and society″,Consuming Power:A Social History of Ameri-can Energies by David Nye systematically describes the six successful transitions of American energy system, viv-idly portraits modern life shaped by energy, and discusses the social implications of technology from a perspective of cultural and social construction.The book was composed after 1970s, when oil crisis broke out in the United States and the public began to criticize and reflect on consumptive society based on high-consumptive economy. How to convert fossil fuels into low-consumption and environment-friendly new energy has become the core of the book′s concerns.Today, new electronic energy has become a popular alternative to fossil energy, but there′s not yet a good explanation to the driving force of the sixth energy transition.The significance of reviewing and inter-preting this book lies not only in understanding the evolution of energy system in the United States, but also in promoting the reflection on China′s energy problems.