This is about peak oil, and what led us to it, and what will take the place of oil as we run lower and lower. Technology and Progress Let’s start with technology and why we use it. It’s to take the place of human labour, to allow us to achieve more while working less. Sometimes it’s a very simple tradeoff. A lever, for example. That allows us to be stronger, or rather to exert more force on an object than we could with our muscles alone.