This paper presents a diffractive reading of the controversy on cultural energeticism involving sociologist Max Weber and chemistry Nobel laureate Wilhelm Ostwald in 1909 to provide a relevant perspective for the Anthropocene conjunction. First, I highlight the complex energetic landscape of contemporary society, especially the high-energy-consuming model of fossil capitalism. Second, I discuss Weber’s critique of Ostwald, focusing on the clustered interests of art and technology, as well as the tension between Weber’s pluralism and Ostwald’s aspiration for a unifying theory of everything. Third, I discuss some recent revaluations of Ostwald’s energeticism, emphasizing the technoscientific molecular turn that has diversified the organismic landscape. Finally, I reassess the conception of an energetic superorganism—a hybrid synthesis— and its potential future direction.