September 17, 2025

Mineral Rites: An Archaeology of the Fossil Economy (Energy Humanities)

19 minutes

Explores how fossil fuels have fundamentally shaped modern life, capitalism, and human consciousness. It argues that the fossil economy, marked by events like the 1859 Pennsylvania oil strike, transformed society from a pre-industrial reliance on human and animal power to one deeply dependent on carbon. The author introduces concepts such as "mineral rites" to describe daily rituals that normalize this energy consumption and the "fossil unconscious," which refers to the hidden environmental and social costs of this system. Through historical examples, including the Titanic's class divisions fueled by coal and the rise of the "energy slave" metaphor for mechanical power, the text reveals the uneven distribution of fossil fuel benefits and burdens. Ultimately, it calls for a critical re-evaluation of our relationship with energy and its profound ethical and ecological implications.

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