Social Energy
Description
John Ikerd:
"People are not economically useful when they are born; they are helpless infants. They must be nurtured, educated, socialized, and civilized for many years before they reach their full capacity as economically productive individuals. Many of these capacity building functions are beyond the capabilities of individuals. They must be performed by families, communities, and societies. It takes energy to produce productive people, specifically societal or social energy.
Social energy may be defined as the energy expended in maintaining positive, productive, human relationships. Positive relationships require physical and mental energy. Humans, being fallible beings, invariably degrade and deplete the quality of their social relationships through unavoidable mistakes, unintentional neglect, and avoidable abuse – a kind of “social entropy.”
Thus, relationships within families, communities, and societies require energy to maintain, energy to restore, and energy to replace.
An economy that fails to invest sufficient energy in the renewal and regeneration of society is not sustainable, no matter how much physical energy it may conserve, renew, or regenerate, as explained in The Essentials of Economic Sustainability.
Continual renewal and regeneration of both physical and social energy are essential for economic sustainability." (http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/752-economic-sustainability-ultimately-about-energy)
More Information
See also John Ikerd's book: The Essentials of Economic Sustainability.