• progress inevitably means using more and more energy
• more energy is better
• technology determines history
• the path of technological change is inevitable
• the particular impact of technology on society is inevitable
  

But he does see technological momentum as an issue: power systems are not easy to change

why do the United States and Canada use more energy per capita than any other nation?

• some people see technology as inevitable, or progressing so rapidly that society cannot keep up
• Nye argues "Human beings select the machines the use and shape them to fit within different cultures." (p. 3)

Social construction of technology:

• "social forces control the invention, adoption and development of machines and systems" (p. 3)
• which technology wins is not just about which machine is better but about which fits the needs of society
  
• however it is not easy to change the shape of established systems
• they are maintained by society: just because of investment in infrastructure--consider changing driving side
• those big systems eventually lose momentum
• but they survive a long time, embedded in society
• what seems natural to us is whatever system was in place when we were a child, but it isn't natural
  

What shaped the energy system in the US?

• overlapping systems: muscle power, water power, steam, electricity, internal combustion engines
• the role of workers and managers in shaping technological systems
• changing life patterns (urbanization) and culture of consumption