Life is a manifestation of the Sun’s energy. Any change, growth or movement we observe in the universe is the result of a push or pull of one particular kind of energy or another. Yet, as far as natural science is concerned, human energy does not seem to exist.

Despite the obvious fact that our entire economy runs on this most precious form of energy, natural science does not have a calculable or quantitative measuring unit for human energy. In fact, if you start talking about human energy, you will quickly sound like you left natural science altogether and veered off to pseudo-science or new age mumbo jumbo.

This glaring omission is best illustrated by the International System of Units (SI), which is overseen by the General Conference of Weights and Measures. The listing on which all natural sciences depends does not list human energy in any shape or form.

The SI system is made up of seven base units and an unlimited number of derived units. The base units are as follows: meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, mole and candela. These base units are derived from independent measurements that together form a coherent system of units that can be used in equations. The definition of the meter, for example, is the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Derived units are derived from equations made up of base units and other derived units. One joule of energy, for example, is defined as kg.m2.s−2.

Think about what this means. Despite seeing with our own eyes how hard people work all around the world every day, natural science acts as if this energy doesn’t exist or isn’t worthy of study. If this is so, we have located a glaring hole in the way natural science explains the reality around us.

Just ask yourself, do you know how to calculate your productivity at your job? Since you are selling your human energy to the marketplace on a daily basis, what are the specific words and calculations you use to ensure you are compensated correctly? What definitions are your ideas built on when you discuss the human energy you generate?

As it turns out, none of us can calculate or evaluate the true value of our productivity because natural science has utterly failed to publicly study the phenomenon. Instead of selling our human energy, we sell our time. As no measuring unit for human energy exists, this means we are forced to take it upon ourselves to create one. The question hanging in the air is, should our measuring unit for human energy eventually become the eighth base unit?

When we attempt to define what human energy is, let’s make sure our definition is always grounded in natural science. As discussed in the previous chapter, human energy is ultimately a form of solar energy, and all human activity is thus a manifestation of solar energy in action. While the source of the physical energy animating human energy is not in question, let’s try to break down what we mean by human energy so we can arrive at a useful definition.

First, human energy is something that requires the conscious presence of the human body and mind. This means that, by definition, it cannot be replaced by machines or animals. When we look to define what makes human energy truly human, we must zero in on the output of the human brain, and the neocortex–our most distinctly human feature–in particular.

The average human brain weighs only 1.4 kilograms and represents two percent of our body weight, but it consumes 20 percent of the body’s energy. This means that the brain consumes energy at a rate 10 times higher than the rest of the body. Our brain takes chemical energy and transforms it into work that is infused with the information contained in a human consciousness and the culture at large. This uniquely human form of energy is the most valuable and refined form of energy there is. Our brain is a transformer built by our genes that converts the chemical energy contained in our food into this uniquely human form of energy.

Once the food we eat is transformed into glucose that can feed the cells in the brain, the human brain converts the physical energy into human consciousness that enables language, perception, conscience, empathy, mental models, artistic expression and aesthetic experiences, hand-eye coordination and many other unique expressions of human energy to take shape.

Let’s try to play with this definition a little further as we wait for real scientists to finally get their act together and create a more solid definition.

The human energy output of any adult person, who is merely present for an hour, let’s say, sitting still on a chair, is exactly the same. As the sitting doesn’t involve a task or require any training, it doesn’t matter who sits in the chair. Many jobs, such as certain guard jobs, only require human presence. The human energy required to do this is a constant. An hour’s worth of human presence represents the minimal possible value of human energy in an hour. Let’s call that value one unit of HE (for human energy).

Even if a guard sits stoically for an hour, they have all the human faculties at their disposal were something to happen. The guard can treat a child, an elderly person or a thief with the appropriate response merely because they, too, are human. This is also why human guards still beat animals and machines at keeping us safe.

Now, when that person starts to employ their mental faculties, perform a task, or draw upon their training or experience, the level of human energy they produce goes up. This will be expressed as a multiple of HE. If a guard chases a thief through a city for an hour, they use many times the energy they did when they were just sitting. Some highly trained performance artist or a creative genius could technically produce 100 HE or more worth of human energy while performing their job for an hour.

Since human talents and efforts are so wide-ranging, measuring them accurately with only one measuring stick can be difficult. To determine how much human energy is expended in an hour exactly, we turn to the market. Supply and demand, which determine prices, can’t determine the absolute value of human energy–this might be an impossible task to begin with–but only provide the relative value.

Since one hour of human presence was defined as a constant HE, we can fix its base market value as a constant MV. This means that the exchange of MV for HE is considered fair and accurate. This exchange rate can then be used to calibrate our economy further.

An important reason why we create these definitions is our intent to create a new monetary system that directly reflects the value of human energy and the productivity it generates. By attempting to create a useful scientific definition for human energy, we have, in fact, helped further define our future currency. A single unit of the currency is thus defined as the value of one hour of human energy at its minimal output, or one HE. Since human energy is ultimately derived from solar energy, this means that, ultimately, the new currency is also pegged to a specific, but as of yet undetermined, amount of solar energy our planet is able to capture.

Human energy and its true value need to be made visible, and eventually, they both need to become key measuring units in our economy. Having a functioning measuring unit will create a common denominator and simplify the understanding of our economy. More than a scientifically solid definition, what we have created is a highly useful agreement.

The currency we create this way is the first currency we have that is directly connected to the fundamental forces that shape our physical reality and life within it. This fact alone should make it much more useful and enduring as a means of exchange than any currency so far.

When we back the value of our currency with human productivity, we are essentially backing it with solar energy. Understanding this profound fact of natural science will forever change the way we organize our society and the economy within it.

This brings us to our fifteenth hypothesis: