How the World Really Works

How the World Really Works (2022) tackles a paradox at the heart of the modern world: we’ve never had so much information at our fingertips and never known so little about how things actually work. Of course, we can’t be experts in everything. But, Vaclav Smil argues, it’s our duty as citizens to be informed about the basics – the big questions that shape our societies and their futures.

• History and science enthusiasts
• Anyone interested in how their food gets made
• Those wondering what energy actually is

Vaclav Smil is a Czech-Canadian natural scientist and distinguished professor in the faculty of environment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He completed his graduate studies at Carolinum University in Prague and Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include energy, the environment, food, population, and economics.