Emergy science emerged from the general systems theory of H.T.Odum and his colleagues.At the center of general systems theory are the maximum power principle and the hierarchy principle.Odum proposed that these be designated the Fourth and Fifth Laws of Thermodynamics.As an anthropologist,my research has been devoted to the application of these two energy laws to our understanding of culture.Following suggestions from Odum,I have attempted to extend both theory and emergy science into the conceptualization and measurement of cultural information and human organization.