# Bernal Called the Human Body an Energy Tax by J. D. Bernal > "In a civilized worker the limbs are mere parasites, demanding nine-tenths of the energy of the food and even a kind of blackmail in the exercise they need to prevent disease, while the bodily organs wear themselves out in supplying their requirements." > **— J. D. Bernal**, *1929, The World, the Flesh and the Devil, “The Flesh”* ## Sources and Context - **Full source:** [J. D. Bernal, “The Flesh,” complete chapter](https://bactra.org/Bernal/flesh/). Bernal’s harsh metaphor advances his case for redesigned embodiment, not a measured energy budget for all bodies. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta|Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Were Never Going to Make It|We Were Never Going to Make It]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Post-Biological Embodiment|Post-Biological Embodiment]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/The World, the Flesh and the Devil|The World, the Flesh and the Devil]] - [[wiki/Post-Biological Embodiment|Post-Biological Embodiment]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "In a civilized worker the limbs are mere parasites, demanding nine-tenths of the energy of the food and even a kind of blackmail in the exercise they need to prevent disease, while the bodily organs wear themselves out in supplying their requirements." — J. D. Bernal, 1929, The World, the Flesh and the Devil, “The Flesh” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bernal-human-body-energy-tax ```