In Powering Freedom: The Thermodynamic Roots of Modernity, Professor John Constable, Director of the Future of Energy Institute at the University of Austin in Texas, shows that the defining achievements of modernity – our social, cultural and economic complexity, our dramatic expansion of wealth creation and our unprecedented level of personal freedom – were only made possible because high-quality, dense fuels unlocked a vast surplus of usable energy. This surplus enlarged our physical liberty, the practical freedom to act in the world, as well as making us tolerant of each other’s success, giving rise to the modern West as we know it.