We should be wary about what Big History overlooks in its myth | Aeon Essays

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Sweeping the human story into a cosmic tale is a thrill but we should be wary about what is overlooked in the grandeur

Big History burst on to the scene 30 years ago, promising to reinvigorate a stale and overspecialised academic discipline by situating the human past within a holistic account at a cosmic scale. The goal was to produce a story of life that could be discerned by synthesising cosmology, geology, evolutionary biology, archaeology and anthropology. This universal story, in turn, would provide students with a basic framework for their subsequent studies – and for life itself. Big History also promised to fill the existential void left by the ostensible erosion of religious beliefs. Three decades…

We should be wary about what Big History overlooks in its myth | Aeon Essays

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