Sanford Lakoff, in conversation with John Agresto, addresses the energy crisis of the early 1980s and how energy resources shape the economy and society in the United States. He argues that the way America uses its energy resources affects economic productivity and the ability to compete internationally. Lakoff contends that reforming the energy policy could have a tremendous impact on social structure and culture. The conversation includes an overview of oil, coal, and nuclear resources and the potential for alternative energy sources in the future.
Lakoff, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center and member of the seminar “Energy and the Values of American Democracy” at the Center in 1980-81, was professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. Agresto was special projects officer at the Center.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
