Big History
Encyclopedia
Big History is a field of historical study
that examines history
on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience. It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history
, as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day
. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history
.
to modernity
, seeking out common theme
s and pattern
s. It draws on the latest findings from many disciplines, such as biology
, astronomy
, geology
, climatology
, prehistory
, archeology, anthropology
, economics
, cosmology
, natural history
, and population
and environmental studies
. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across multiple time scales in history. Conventionally, the study of history concerns only the period of time since the invention of writing, and is limited to past events relating directly to the human race
; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and covers only a small fraction of the period of time that humans have existed on Earth, and an even smaller fraction of the age of the universe.
Big history evolved from interdisciplinary studies in the mid-20th century, during the Cold War
and Space Race
. Some of the first efforts were Cosmic Evolution at Harvard University
(USA) and Universal History in the Soviet Union. The first actual courses in what is today called big history were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University
(Dallas, Texas
) and by David Christian
at Macquarie University
(Australia
) and San Diego State University
(USA). Since then, other universities have offered similar courses.
Major publications in big history include Fred Spier's 1996 book The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across time scales. Another notable text in big history is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first microseconds after the Big Bang, to the creation of the Solar System, the origins of life on Earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution
, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and big history course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective on time scales. Graeme Snooks
in The Dynamic Society, published in 1996, provided the first general dynamic theory to explain Big History over the past 4 billion years, and to make scientific predictions about its future course. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2010. Currently in process is a textbook on big history for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown
and Craig Benjamin. Brown initiated big history at Dominican University of California
and wrote Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. The Dominican University program in big history is part of the university's First Year Experience, and is directed by Mojgan Behmand. Barry Rodrigue, at the University of Southern Maine, established the first Big History course in a general education curriculum, and then began the first online Big History course, which has drawn students from around the world. At the University of Queensland
in Australia there is an undergraduate course entitled Global History, which is compulsory for all degrees majoring in history, and surveys how powerful forces and factors at work on large time-scales have shaped human history. As of 2011, about 50 professors are offering courses in big history around the world. There is a movement underway to make big history the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world.
The International Big History Association (IBHA) was founded at the Coldigioco Geological Observatory in Coldigioco, Marche
, Italy, on 20 August 2010. Its headquarters is located at Grand Valley State University
in Allendale, Michigan
(USA).
Essays and other publications
Big History is a field of historical study
that examines history
on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience. It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history
, as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day
. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history
.
to modernity
, seeking out common theme
s and pattern
s. It draws on the latest findings from many disciplines, such as biology
, astronomy
, geology
, climatology
, prehistory
, archeology, anthropology
, economics
, cosmology
, natural history
, and population
and environmental studies
. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across multiple time scales in history. Conventionally, the study of history concerns only the period of time since the invention of writing, and is limited to past events relating directly to the human race
; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and covers only a small fraction of the period of time that humans have existed on Earth, and an even smaller fraction of the age of the universe.
Big history evolved from interdisciplinary studies in the mid-20th century, during the Cold War
and Space Race
. Some of the first efforts were Cosmic Evolution at Harvard University
(USA) and Universal History in the Soviet Union. The first actual courses in what is today called big history were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University
(Dallas, Texas
) and by David Christian
at Macquarie University
(Australia
) and San Diego State University
(USA). Since then, other universities have offered similar courses.
Major publications in big history include Fred Spier's 1996 book The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across time scales. Another notable text in big history is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first microseconds after the Big Bang, to the creation of the Solar System, the origins of life on Earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution
, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and big history course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective on time scales. Graeme Snooks
in The Dynamic Society, published in 1996, provided the first general dynamic theory to explain Big History over the past 4 billion years, and to make scientific predictions about its future course. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2010. Currently in process is a textbook on big history for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown
and Craig Benjamin. Brown initiated big history at Dominican University of California
and wrote Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. The Dominican University program in big history is part of the university's First Year Experience, and is directed by Mojgan Behmand. Barry Rodrigue, at the University of Southern Maine, established the first Big History course in a general education curriculum, and then began the first online Big History course, which has drawn students from around the world. At the University of Queensland
in Australia there is an undergraduate course entitled Global History, which is compulsory for all degrees majoring in history, and surveys how powerful forces and factors at work on large time-scales have shaped human history. As of 2011, about 50 professors are offering courses in big history around the world. There is a movement underway to make big history the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world.
The International Big History Association (IBHA) was founded at the Coldigioco Geological Observatory in Coldigioco, Marche
, Italy, on 20 August 2010. Its headquarters is located at Grand Valley State University
in Allendale, Michigan
(USA).
Essays and other publications
Big History is a field of historical study
that examines history
on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience. It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history
, as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day
. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history
.
to modernity
, seeking out common theme
s and pattern
s. It draws on the latest findings from many disciplines, such as biology
, astronomy
, geology
, climatology
, prehistory
, archeology, anthropology
, economics
, cosmology
, natural history
, and population
and environmental studies
. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across multiple time scales in history. Conventionally, the study of history concerns only the period of time since the invention of writing, and is limited to past events relating directly to the human race
; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and covers only a small fraction of the period of time that humans have existed on Earth, and an even smaller fraction of the age of the universe.
Big history evolved from interdisciplinary studies in the mid-20th century, during the Cold War
and Space Race
. Some of the first efforts were Cosmic Evolution at Harvard University
(USA) and Universal History in the Soviet Union. The first actual courses in what is today called big history were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University
(Dallas, Texas
) and by David Christian
at Macquarie University
(Australia
) and San Diego State University
(USA). Since then, other universities have offered similar courses.
Major publications in big history include Fred Spier's 1996 book The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across time scales. Another notable text in big history is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first microseconds after the Big Bang, to the creation of the Solar System, the origins of life on Earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution
, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and big history course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective on time scales. Graeme Snooks
in The Dynamic Society, published in 1996, provided the first general dynamic theory to explain Big History over the past 4 billion years, and to make scientific predictions about its future course. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2010. Currently in process is a textbook on big history for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown
and Craig Benjamin. Brown initiated big history at Dominican University of California
and wrote Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. The Dominican University program in big history is part of the university's First Year Experience, and is directed by Mojgan Behmand. Barry Rodrigue, at the University of Southern Maine, established the first Big History course in a general education curriculum, and then began the first online Big History course, which has drawn students from around the world. At the University of Queensland
in Australia there is an undergraduate course entitled Global History, which is compulsory for all degrees majoring in history, and surveys how powerful forces and factors at work on large time-scales have shaped human history. As of 2011, about 50 professors are offering courses in big history around the world. There is a movement underway to make big history the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world.
The International Big History Association (IBHA) was founded at the Coldigioco Geological Observatory in Coldigioco, Marche
, Italy, on 20 August 2010. Its headquarters is located at Grand Valley State University
in Allendale, Michigan
(USA).
Essays and other publications
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
that examines history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience. It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history
World History
World History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
, as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day
Present day
The term "present day" is used to describe the approximate period of time that surrounds the present. Depending on the context, this period may be as narrow as referring to the immediate moment, or as broad as referring to the current year or decade...
. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history
Universal history
Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
.
Description
Big history looks at the past on all time scales, from the Big BangBig Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
to modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
, seeking out common theme
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
s and pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
s. It draws on the latest findings from many disciplines, such as biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, climatology
Climatology
Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time, and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences...
, prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, archeology, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, and population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across multiple time scales in history. Conventionally, the study of history concerns only the period of time since the invention of writing, and is limited to past events relating directly to the human race
Human Race
Human Race refers to the Human species.Human race may also refer to:*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho* Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton Ohio* Human Race Machine, a computer graphics device...
; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and covers only a small fraction of the period of time that humans have existed on Earth, and an even smaller fraction of the age of the universe.
Big history evolved from interdisciplinary studies in the mid-20th century, during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
. Some of the first efforts were Cosmic Evolution at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(USA) and Universal History in the Soviet Union. The first actual courses in what is today called big history were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) and by David Christian
David Christian (historian)
Dr. David Gilbert Christian is an Anglo-American historian.Christian was born in Brooklyn, New York, to British and American parents. He grew up in Africa and in England, where he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University....
at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) and San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
(USA). Since then, other universities have offered similar courses.
Major publications in big history include Fred Spier's 1996 book The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across time scales. Another notable text in big history is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first microseconds after the Big Bang, to the creation of the Solar System, the origins of life on Earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution
Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was the first agricultural revolution. It was the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Archaeological data indicates that various forms of plants and animal domestication evolved independently in 6 separate locations worldwide circa...
, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and big history course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective on time scales. Graeme Snooks
Graeme Snooks
Graeme Donald Snooks is a systems theorist and stratologist who has developed a general dynamic theory to explain complex living systems...
in The Dynamic Society, published in 1996, provided the first general dynamic theory to explain Big History over the past 4 billion years, and to make scientific predictions about its future course. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2010. Currently in process is a textbook on big history for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown
Cynthia Stokes Brown
Cynthia Stokes Brown is an educator-historian. She earned her BA at Duke University in history and her M.A.T. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in the history of education with fellowships from the American Association of University Women and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation...
and Craig Benjamin. Brown initiated big history at Dominican University of California
Dominican University of California
Dominican University of California is a four year, accredited, private, Catholic-heritage, and co-educational institution located in San Rafael, California. Founded in 1890 as Dominican College, Dominican is one of the oldest universities in California. The U.S. News and World Report ranks...
and wrote Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. The Dominican University program in big history is part of the university's First Year Experience, and is directed by Mojgan Behmand. Barry Rodrigue, at the University of Southern Maine, established the first Big History course in a general education curriculum, and then began the first online Big History course, which has drawn students from around the world. At the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in Australia there is an undergraduate course entitled Global History, which is compulsory for all degrees majoring in history, and surveys how powerful forces and factors at work on large time-scales have shaped human history. As of 2011, about 50 professors are offering courses in big history around the world. There is a movement underway to make big history the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world.
The International Big History Association (IBHA) was founded at the Coldigioco Geological Observatory in Coldigioco, Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, Italy, on 20 August 2010. Its headquarters is located at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
in Allendale, Michigan
Allendale, Michigan
Allendale is an unincorporated community in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place for statistical purposes. The population was 17,579 at the 2010 census...
(USA).
See also
- Big History ProjectBig History ProjectThe Big History Project was started by Bill Gates and David Christian to enable the global teaching of big history. Big history “is the attempt to understand, in a unified way, the history of Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity.”. It is a course that covers history from the big bang through to the...
- Deep timeDeep timeDeep time is the concept that the Geologic time scale is vast because the Earth is very old. The modern philosophical concept was developed in the 18th century by Scottish geologist James Hutton...
- Universal historyUniversal historyUniversal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
- Epic of EvolutionEpic of EvolutionThe phrase Epic of Evolution represents an attempt to create a mythic narrative aimed at reconciling religious and scientific views of cosmic evolution, biological evolution, and sociocultural evolution. According to Taylor's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, it is…-History:The term "Epic of...
Further reading
Books listed by dateEssays and other publications
Big History is a field of historical study
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
that examines history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience. It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history
World History
World History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
, as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day
Present day
The term "present day" is used to describe the approximate period of time that surrounds the present. Depending on the context, this period may be as narrow as referring to the immediate moment, or as broad as referring to the current year or decade...
. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history
Universal history
Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
.
Description
Big history looks at the past on all time scales, from the Big BangBig Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
to modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
, seeking out common theme
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
s and pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
s. It draws on the latest findings from many disciplines, such as biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, climatology
Climatology
Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time, and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences...
, prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, archeology, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, and population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across multiple time scales in history. Conventionally, the study of history concerns only the period of time since the invention of writing, and is limited to past events relating directly to the human race
Human Race
Human Race refers to the Human species.Human race may also refer to:*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho* Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton Ohio* Human Race Machine, a computer graphics device...
; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and covers only a small fraction of the period of time that humans have existed on Earth, and an even smaller fraction of the age of the universe.
Big history evolved from interdisciplinary studies in the mid-20th century, during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
. Some of the first efforts were Cosmic Evolution at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(USA) and Universal History in the Soviet Union. The first actual courses in what is today called big history were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) and by David Christian
David Christian (historian)
Dr. David Gilbert Christian is an Anglo-American historian.Christian was born in Brooklyn, New York, to British and American parents. He grew up in Africa and in England, where he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University....
at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) and San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
(USA). Since then, other universities have offered similar courses.
Major publications in big history include Fred Spier's 1996 book The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across time scales. Another notable text in big history is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first microseconds after the Big Bang, to the creation of the Solar System, the origins of life on Earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution
Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was the first agricultural revolution. It was the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Archaeological data indicates that various forms of plants and animal domestication evolved independently in 6 separate locations worldwide circa...
, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and big history course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective on time scales. Graeme Snooks
Graeme Snooks
Graeme Donald Snooks is a systems theorist and stratologist who has developed a general dynamic theory to explain complex living systems...
in The Dynamic Society, published in 1996, provided the first general dynamic theory to explain Big History over the past 4 billion years, and to make scientific predictions about its future course. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2010. Currently in process is a textbook on big history for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown
Cynthia Stokes Brown
Cynthia Stokes Brown is an educator-historian. She earned her BA at Duke University in history and her M.A.T. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in the history of education with fellowships from the American Association of University Women and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation...
and Craig Benjamin. Brown initiated big history at Dominican University of California
Dominican University of California
Dominican University of California is a four year, accredited, private, Catholic-heritage, and co-educational institution located in San Rafael, California. Founded in 1890 as Dominican College, Dominican is one of the oldest universities in California. The U.S. News and World Report ranks...
and wrote Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. The Dominican University program in big history is part of the university's First Year Experience, and is directed by Mojgan Behmand. Barry Rodrigue, at the University of Southern Maine, established the first Big History course in a general education curriculum, and then began the first online Big History course, which has drawn students from around the world. At the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in Australia there is an undergraduate course entitled Global History, which is compulsory for all degrees majoring in history, and surveys how powerful forces and factors at work on large time-scales have shaped human history. As of 2011, about 50 professors are offering courses in big history around the world. There is a movement underway to make big history the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world.
The International Big History Association (IBHA) was founded at the Coldigioco Geological Observatory in Coldigioco, Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, Italy, on 20 August 2010. Its headquarters is located at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
in Allendale, Michigan
Allendale, Michigan
Allendale is an unincorporated community in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place for statistical purposes. The population was 17,579 at the 2010 census...
(USA).
See also
- Big History ProjectBig History ProjectThe Big History Project was started by Bill Gates and David Christian to enable the global teaching of big history. Big history “is the attempt to understand, in a unified way, the history of Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity.”. It is a course that covers history from the big bang through to the...
- Deep timeDeep timeDeep time is the concept that the Geologic time scale is vast because the Earth is very old. The modern philosophical concept was developed in the 18th century by Scottish geologist James Hutton...
- Universal historyUniversal historyUniversal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
- Epic of EvolutionEpic of EvolutionThe phrase Epic of Evolution represents an attempt to create a mythic narrative aimed at reconciling religious and scientific views of cosmic evolution, biological evolution, and sociocultural evolution. According to Taylor's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, it is…-History:The term "Epic of...
Further reading
Books listed by date- Roston, E. (2008). The Carbon Age: How Life's Core Element Has Become Civilization's Greatest Threat. New York: Walker & Co.
- Brown, Cynthia S. (2007). Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. New York: The New Press
- Bryson, B. (2005). A short history of nearly everythingA Short History of Nearly EverythingA Short History of Nearly Everything is a popular science book by American author Bill Bryson that explains some areas of science, using a style of language which aims to be more accessible to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject...
: [illustrated]. London: Transworld. - Snooks, Graeme Donald (2003). The Collapse of Darwinism, Or The Rise of a Realist Theory of Life, Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield.
- Diamond, J. M. (2003). Guns, Germs, and SteelGuns, Germs, and SteelGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies is a 1997 book by Jared Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles . In 1998 it won the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction and the Aventis Prize for Best Science Book...
: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. - Manning, P. (2003). Navigating world history: historians create a global past. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Stamhuis, I. H. (2002). The changing image of the science. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
- Drees, Willem B. (2001). Creation: From Nothing Until Now. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25652-6
- Berry, Thomas (1999). The Great Work: Our Way into the Future. New York: Bell Tower.
- Delsemme, Arnaud (1998). Our Cosmic Origins.
- Hawking, S. W. (1998). A brief history of timeA Brief History of TimeA Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...
. London: Bantam. - McSween, Harry, and Brian Swimme (1997). Fanfare for Earth.
- Swimme, Brian, and Thomas F. Berry (1992). The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era—A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos. San Francisco.
- Gonick, L. (1990). The cartoon history of the universeThe Cartoon History of the UniverseThe Cartoon History of the Universe is a book series about the history of the world. It is written and illustrated by American cartoonist, professor, and mathematician Larry Gonick. The final two volumes, published in 2007 and 2009, are named The Cartoon History of the Modern World volumes one and...
. New York: Doubleday. - Asimov, Isaac (1987). Beginnings: The Story of Origins, of Mankind, Life, the Earth, the Universe.
- Kutter, Siegfried (1987). The Universe and Life.
- Cloud, Preston (1978). Cosmos, Earth and Man.
- Snooks, Graeme Donald (1998). The Laws of History, London & New York, Routledge.
- Snooks, Graeme Donald (1997). The Ephemeral Civilization. Exploding the Myth of Social Evolution, London & New York, Routledge.
- Snooks, Graeme Donald (1996). The Dynamic Society. Exploring the Sources of Global Change, London & New York, Routledge.
- Spier, Fred. (1996) The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang Until Today, Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam Press.
Essays and other publications
Big History is a field of historical study
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
that examines history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
on large scales across long time frames through a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on both the history of the non-human world and on major adaptations and alterations in the human experience. It arose as a distinct field in the late 1980s and is related to, but distinct from, world history
World History
World History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
, as the field examines history from the beginning of time to the present day
Present day
The term "present day" is used to describe the approximate period of time that surrounds the present. Depending on the context, this period may be as narrow as referring to the immediate moment, or as broad as referring to the current year or decade...
. In some respects, the field is thus similar to the older universal history
Universal history
Universal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
.
Description
Big history looks at the past on all time scales, from the Big BangBig Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
to modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
, seeking out common theme
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
s and pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
s. It draws on the latest findings from many disciplines, such as biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, climatology
Climatology
Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time, and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences...
, prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, archeology, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
, natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, and population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
. Big History arose from a desire to go beyond the specialized and self-contained fields that emerged in the 20th century and grasp history as a whole, looking for common themes across multiple time scales in history. Conventionally, the study of history concerns only the period of time since the invention of writing, and is limited to past events relating directly to the human race
Human Race
Human Race refers to the Human species.Human race may also refer to:*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho* Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton Ohio* Human Race Machine, a computer graphics device...
; yet this only encompasses the past 5,000 years or so and covers only a small fraction of the period of time that humans have existed on Earth, and an even smaller fraction of the age of the universe.
Big history evolved from interdisciplinary studies in the mid-20th century, during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and Space Race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
. Some of the first efforts were Cosmic Evolution at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(USA) and Universal History in the Soviet Union. The first actual courses in what is today called big history were experimental ones taught in the late 1980s by John Mears at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
) and by David Christian
David Christian (historian)
Dr. David Gilbert Christian is an Anglo-American historian.Christian was born in Brooklyn, New York, to British and American parents. He grew up in Africa and in England, where he earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University....
at Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) and San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
(USA). Since then, other universities have offered similar courses.
Major publications in big history include Fred Spier's 1996 book The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang until Today, which offers an ambitious defense of the project and constructs a unified account of history across time scales. Another notable text in big history is David Christian's Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, which explores the trajectory of history from the first microseconds after the Big Bang, to the creation of the Solar System, the origins of life on Earth, the evolution of humans, the agricultural revolution
Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Revolution was the first agricultural revolution. It was the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Archaeological data indicates that various forms of plants and animal domestication evolved independently in 6 separate locations worldwide circa...
, modernity, and the 20th century. In his book and big history course available through The Teaching Company, Christian examines large-scale patterns and themes, and provides perspective on time scales. Graeme Snooks
Graeme Snooks
Graeme Donald Snooks is a systems theorist and stratologist who has developed a general dynamic theory to explain complex living systems...
in The Dynamic Society, published in 1996, provided the first general dynamic theory to explain Big History over the past 4 billion years, and to make scientific predictions about its future course. Fred Spier's new text, Big History and the Future of Humanity, was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2010. Currently in process is a textbook on big history for McGraw Hill by David Christian, Cynthia Stokes Brown
Cynthia Stokes Brown
Cynthia Stokes Brown is an educator-historian. She earned her BA at Duke University in history and her M.A.T. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in the history of education with fellowships from the American Association of University Women and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation...
and Craig Benjamin. Brown initiated big history at Dominican University of California
Dominican University of California
Dominican University of California is a four year, accredited, private, Catholic-heritage, and co-educational institution located in San Rafael, California. Founded in 1890 as Dominican College, Dominican is one of the oldest universities in California. The U.S. News and World Report ranks...
and wrote Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. The Dominican University program in big history is part of the university's First Year Experience, and is directed by Mojgan Behmand. Barry Rodrigue, at the University of Southern Maine, established the first Big History course in a general education curriculum, and then began the first online Big History course, which has drawn students from around the world. At the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in Australia there is an undergraduate course entitled Global History, which is compulsory for all degrees majoring in history, and surveys how powerful forces and factors at work on large time-scales have shaped human history. As of 2011, about 50 professors are offering courses in big history around the world. There is a movement underway to make big history the basic course for students in higher education throughout the world.
The International Big History Association (IBHA) was founded at the Coldigioco Geological Observatory in Coldigioco, Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, Italy, on 20 August 2010. Its headquarters is located at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
in Allendale, Michigan
Allendale, Michigan
Allendale is an unincorporated community in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also a census-designated place for statistical purposes. The population was 17,579 at the 2010 census...
(USA).
See also
- Big History ProjectBig History ProjectThe Big History Project was started by Bill Gates and David Christian to enable the global teaching of big history. Big history “is the attempt to understand, in a unified way, the history of Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity.”. It is a course that covers history from the big bang through to the...
- Deep timeDeep timeDeep time is the concept that the Geologic time scale is vast because the Earth is very old. The modern philosophical concept was developed in the 18th century by Scottish geologist James Hutton...
- Universal historyUniversal historyUniversal history is basic to the Western tradition of historiography, especially the Abrahamic wellspring of that tradition. Simply stated, universal history is the presentation of the history of humankind as a whole, as a coherent unit.-Ancient authors:...
- Epic of EvolutionEpic of EvolutionThe phrase Epic of Evolution represents an attempt to create a mythic narrative aimed at reconciling religious and scientific views of cosmic evolution, biological evolution, and sociocultural evolution. According to Taylor's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, it is…-History:The term "Epic of...
Further reading
Books listed by date- Roston, E. (2008). The Carbon Age: How Life's Core Element Has Become Civilization's Greatest Threat. New York: Walker & Co.
- Brown, Cynthia S. (2007). Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present. New York: The New Press
- Bryson, B. (2005). A short history of nearly everythingA Short History of Nearly EverythingA Short History of Nearly Everything is a popular science book by American author Bill Bryson that explains some areas of science, using a style of language which aims to be more accessible to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject...
: [illustrated]. London: Transworld. - Snooks, Graeme Donald (2003). The Collapse of Darwinism, Or The Rise of a Realist Theory of Life, Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield.
- Diamond, J. M. (2003). Guns, Germs, and SteelGuns, Germs, and SteelGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies is a 1997 book by Jared Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles . In 1998 it won the Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction and the Aventis Prize for Best Science Book...
: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. - Manning, P. (2003). Navigating world history: historians create a global past. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Stamhuis, I. H. (2002). The changing image of the science. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
- Drees, Willem B. (2001). Creation: From Nothing Until Now. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25652-6
- Berry, Thomas (1999). The Great Work: Our Way into the Future. New York: Bell Tower.
- Delsemme, Arnaud (1998). Our Cosmic Origins.
- Hawking, S. W. (1998). A brief history of timeA Brief History of TimeA Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...
. London: Bantam. - McSween, Harry, and Brian Swimme (1997). Fanfare for Earth.
- Swimme, Brian, and Thomas F. Berry (1992). The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era—A Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos. San Francisco.
- Gonick, L. (1990). The cartoon history of the universeThe Cartoon History of the UniverseThe Cartoon History of the Universe is a book series about the history of the world. It is written and illustrated by American cartoonist, professor, and mathematician Larry Gonick. The final two volumes, published in 2007 and 2009, are named The Cartoon History of the Modern World volumes one and...
. New York: Doubleday. - Asimov, Isaac (1987). Beginnings: The Story of Origins, of Mankind, Life, the Earth, the Universe.
- Kutter, Siegfried (1987). The Universe and Life.
- Cloud, Preston (1978). Cosmos, Earth and Man.
- Snooks, Graeme Donald (1998). The Laws of History, London & New York, Routledge.
- Snooks, Graeme Donald (1997). The Ephemeral Civilization. Exploding the Myth of Social Evolution, London & New York, Routledge.
- Snooks, Graeme Donald (1996). The Dynamic Society. Exploring the Sources of Global Change, London & New York, Routledge.
- Spier, Fred. (1996) The Structure of Big History: From the Big Bang Until Today, Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam Press.
Essays and other publications
- John Mears, "Connections and Continuities: Integrating World History into Larger Analytical Frameworks"
- Bruce Mazlish, "Big History, Little Critique"
- Marnie Hughes-Warrington, Big History. Social Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & History is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the development of human societies in the past, present and future. In addition to original research articles, Social Evolution & History includes critical notes and a book review section. It is published in English twice a...
. Vol. 4 (2005). #1. P.7-21. - David Christian, "Bridging the Two Cultures: History, Big History, and Science"
- Eric J. Chaisson, "Follow the Energy: The Relevance of Cosmic Evolution for Human History"
- Akop P. Nazaretyan, Big (Universal) History Paradigm: Versions and Approaches. Social Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & History is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the development of human societies in the past, present and future. In addition to original research articles, Social Evolution & History includes critical notes and a book review section. It is published in English twice a...
. Vol. 4 (2005). #1. P.61-86. - Fred Spier, "What Drives Human History? A View from Big History"
- Fred Spier, How Big History Works. Social Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & History is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the development of human societies in the past, present and future. In addition to original research articles, Social Evolution & History includes critical notes and a book review section. It is published in English twice a...
. Vol. 4 (2005). #1. P.87-135. - Barry Rodrigue and Daniel Stasko, “Changing the Future with the Past: Global Enlightenment through Big History,” The Journal of Globalization Studies 1, (2), Winter 2011, pp. 30–47.
- Daniel Stasko and Barry Rodrigue, “A Preliminary Look at Big History Today: The Instructors, the Students, & the Courses,” pp. 135–147, Russian Academy of Sciences: Social Evolution & History 9 (2), Fall 2010.
- Daniel Stasko and Barry Rodrigue, “Courses of Big History in the Universities of the World,” Russian Academy of Sciences: Historical Psychology & Sociology 3, 2 (Fall 2010).
- Barry Rodrigue: “Big History, Civilization & Human Survival,” Thought & Action 26, Fall 2010, pp. 139–146.
- Barry Rodrigue and Daniel Stasko, “A Big History Directory, 2009: An Introduction,” in World History Connected 6 (3) Autumn 2009.
- Joseph Voros, “Nesting Social-Analytical Perspectives: An Approach to Macro-Social Analysis,” Journal of Futures Studies 11 (1), Aug 2006, pp. 1-21. http://www.jfs.tku.edu.tw/sarticles.html
- Joseph Voros, “Macro-Perspectives Beyond the World System,” Journal of Futures Studies 11 (3), Feb 2007, pp. 1-28. http://www.jfs.tku.edu.tw/sarticles.html
- Graeme Donald Snooks, "Uncovering the laws of global history", Social Evolution & History, 1 (1), July 2002.
- Graeme Donald Snooks, "Big History or Big Theory? Uncovering the laws of life" Social Evolution & History 4 (1), March 2005.
- Graeme Donald Snooks, "Constructing a general theory of life", EvolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, Uchitel, Moscow, 2011.
External links
- The International Big History Association (IBHA)
- ChronoZoom is a timeline for Big History being developed for the International Big History Association by Microsoft ResearchMicrosoft ResearchMicrosoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...
and University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA... - The structure of big history from the big bang until today - the book in Google Book Search
- Big History by Marnie Hughes-Warrington. bu.edu.
- David Christian
- David Christian: Big history. 2011. TED Talk.
- Big History course. 2007. 48 30-minute lectures on Big History, from The Teaching Company.
- Bill Gates talks about Big History and recommends Teaching Company course.
- Inspiring Naturalism interview with David Christian, on Big History.
- Maps of Time at InterSci Complexity wiki
- Maps of Time: Introduction. 2004. Introduction chapter from the book.
- World History in Context. 2003. Christian makes the case that human history is significant across all time scales.
- "The Case for Big History". 1991. An early essay.
- Big History Big History courses at the University of Amsterdam.
- Exploring the Horizons of Big History - Special issue of the journal Social Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & HistorySocial Evolution & History is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on the development of human societies in the past, present and future. In addition to original research articles, Social Evolution & History includes critical notes and a book review section. It is published in English twice a...
(Guest Editor Graeme Donald Snooks) - Interview with Fred Spier about Big History on New Books in History.
- And Then There Was You.... 2010. A children's book by Erika K.H. Gronek
- http://usm.maine.edu/lac/global/bighistory/ Big History, University of Southern Maine, Lewiston, Maine (USA).
- Institute of Global Dynamic Systems. https://sites.google.com/site/institutegds/
