"Minimal energy would be that required to provide food, water, shelter, and access to medical care. Civilizations require more. People need to be educated; funds are needed for arts, humanities, sciences, and for recreation and entertainment. Life should be joyful, and music, dance, and the graphic arts don't come energy-free. If people have such limited energy available that they can only focus on teh bare necessities of life, they don't ahve time to think about who to vote for, how to organize and run a political campaign, go to town meetings, and so on--the things that we take for granted but are necessary for a democracy. Thus it also may be that democracies benefit from, or even require, more than the minimal energy required for the barest human survival."
- Daniel B. Botkin, Powering the Future: A Scientist's Guide to Energy Independence (2010)
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