The Thermodynamic Economy How the Law of Conservation Governs Money, Markets, and Manipulation

What if the economy was never random, but engineered? What if every savings came at a hidden cost—and every “deal” was simply a redirection of burden? In The Thermodynamic Economy, Richard Sweeney reimagines economics through the lens of the first law of thermodynamics: energy can neither be created nor destroyed—only transformed. Applying this universal law to modern finance, government, labor, healthcare, insurance, and technology, he reveals a provocative truth: money behaves like energy—and it’s always balanced somewhere, usually at your expense. This powerful manifesto exposes how every aspect of our economic system is designed to conserve wealth by extracting energy from the bottom to fuel the top. From insurance premiums that are never returned, to taxes paid by those with the least equity, to “free” apps that mine your privacy, nothing is ever truly saved—it’s simply transferred. But this is not just a critique. It’s a call to redesign. Sweeney introduces legislative case studies and practical models for thermodynamic justice, proving that we don’t need to defy the law—we just need to make it serve everyone, not just the powerful. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re working harder but getting less, this book gives you the law that explains it—and the framework to challenge it.