Big History

This article is about the academic discipline. For the TV series, see Big History (TV series). For the project, see Big History Project.
A diagram of the Big Bang expansion according to NASA
Notable events from the Big Bang to the present day depicted in a spiral layout. Every billion years (Ga) is represented in 90 degrees of rotation.

Big History is an academic discipline which examines history from the Big Bang to the present. Big History resists specialization, and searches for universal patterns or trends. It examines long time frames using a multidisciplinary approach based on combining numerous disciplines from science and the humanities,[1][2][3][4] and explores human existence in the context of this bigger picture.[5] It integrates studies of the cosmos, Earth, life, and humanity using empirical evidence to explore cause-and-effect relations,[6][7] and is taught at universities[8] and primary and secondary schools[9][10] often using web-based interactive presentations.[11][12][13]

Historian David Christian has been credited with coining the term "Big History" while teaching one of the first such courses at Macquarie University.[6][8][14] An all-encompassing study of humanity's relationship to cosmology[15] and natural history[16] has been pursued by scholars since the Renaissance, and the new field, Big History, continues such work.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference tws2M27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Patricia Cohen (September 26, 2011). "History That's Written in Beads as Well as in Words". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference tws2M31 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Christian, David (2004). Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520235007.
  5. ^ Stearns, Peter N. Growing Up: The History of Childhood in a Global Context. p. 9.
  6. ^ a b Vanessa Thorpe (27 October 2012). "Big History theories pose latest challenge to traditional curriculum: Maverick academic's 'Big History' – which is backed by Bill Gates – is subject of new documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-12-13. Big History, a movement spearheaded by the Oxford-educated maverick historian David Christian,...
  7. ^ "International Big History Association". Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Craig Benjamin (July 2012). "Recent Developments in Big History". History of Science Society. Vol. 41, no. 3. Archived from the original on 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  9. ^ "Big History School".
  10. ^ "Big History Project".
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference tws2M16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Crash Course Big History with John Green - YouTube". YouTube.
  13. ^ "Big History: Connecting Knowledge".
  14. ^ Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd (December 13, 2012). "Failing Our Youth: A Call to Religious Liberals". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-12-13. Historian David Christian ... "big history."
  15. ^ Big History Project (16 December 2013). "Introduction to Cosmology". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Cosmic Evolution – More Than Big History by Another Name". www.sociostudies.org.