Reply #2: Thinking about Rudolph Diesel makes me wonder...

[phantom power]

How would the last 100 years of technological progress, economics, population growth, etc, have unfolded differently if we hadn't latched onto fossil oil, gas, etc?

Would we have burned a lot more coal (until it was gone)? Would we have embraced nuclear power? Would we have even discovered nuclear power?

Generally speaking, could a high technology society arise without being kick-started with cheap fossil fuels? I believe it could, and would in fact develop as a somewhat healthier, more sustainable civilization by necessity. But opinions differ widely.

If our current civilization collapses, I suppose our decendents will do the experiment for us, since we've used up all the easily accessible fossil fuels.