David Christian

How did we get from the Big Bang to today's staggering complexity, in which seven billion humans are connected into networks powerful enough to transform the planet? And why, in comparison, are our closest primate relatives reduced to near-extinction? Big History creator David Christian gives the answers in a mind-expanding cosmological detective story told on the grandest possible scale. He traces how, during eight key thresholds, the right conditions have allowed new forms of complexity to arise, from stars to galaxies, Earth to homo sapiens, agriculture to fossil fuels. This last mega-innovation gave us an energy bonanza that brought huge benefits to mankind, yet also threatens to shake apart everything we have created. This global origin story is one that we could only begin to tell recently, thanks to the underlying unity of modern knowledge. Panoramic in scope and thrillingly told, Origin Story reveals what we learn about human existence when we consider it from a universal scale.

A legtöbb történész az idő apró szeletét vizsgálja. Milyen lenne, ha áttekintenénk a mindenség egész történetét az ősrobbanástól napjainkig - sőt azon túl is? Miként módosulna az univerzumról, a Földről és a világban elfoglalt helyünkről alkotott képünk, ha az idő egészében tekintenénk rá? Ezekre a kérdésekre kereste a választ David Christian, amikor megalkotta a Nagy Történelem fogalmát, a múlt és a jövő szemléletének merőben új megközelítését. Ebben a könyvben nyomon követi az elmúlt 13,8 milliárd év történetét, és feltárja, miként tették lehetővé a megfelelő körülmények, nyolc küszöb átlépésével a komplexitás új formáinak felbukkanását a Földtől a Homo sapiensig és a földműveléstől a fosszilis tüzelőanyagokig. Ez utóbbi, óriási horderejű innováció hatalmas energiabőséget nyújtott, amely rendkívül előnyösnek bizonyult az emberiség számára, miközben azzal fenyeget, hogy szétzilál mindent, amit eddig létrehoztunk. Christian világossá teszi, hogy ezek a rejtett szálak, amelyek mindent mindennel összekötnek, a Föld létrejöttétől a kollektív értelem megjelenéséig és az atomháború kitöréséig. A tárgyát tekintve átfogó, előadásmódjában pedig borzongató könyv bemutatja, mi mindent tudhatunk meg, ha az életet egyetemes léptékben szemléljük.

13.8 billion years of human and cosmic history summarised in one big book. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So with this brand-new history book, you can easily discover how we got to where we are within the context of our Universe. Prepare to take a journey back in time to the very beginning, from the Big Bang forming our Universe, to the dawn of time, stretching across to the present day, and explore the ways in which a series of major events has changed the nature and course of life on the planet we call home. So prepare to dive deep into the past with this all-encompassing history book, which promises: -Unique graphics and artworks -Evidence spreads unpick aspects of different objects to explain how we know what we know -Big ideas spreads and timelines explore connections between key events -Optional 64-page reference section: Timelines of world history With each page jam-packed with fantastic facts and extraordinary pictures, Big History brings together an incredible range of perspectives, by using multiple disciplines to examine 13.8 billion years of history and thus bringing to life the entire history of the world! Celebrate your curiosity as you explore a plethora of different subject areas, from astronomy to animal life, ocean floors to icy cores, early humans, the age of empires, climate change and more, this all-encompassing history fact book truly does have something for everyone to love. A must-have volume for history enthusiasts who want to see the past come to life, and doubling up as an ideal read for kids aged 12+ and adults alike with an interest in cosmic and human history. Students and educators looking for an inspiring window into history will no doubt love this historical encyclopaedia, whereby the people and places of the past will be brought back to life before your very eyes in this riveting read. Encompassing a foreword by Professor David Christian, whose Big History TED talk has had over 12 million views, and aligned with Bill Gates' online Big History Project, it's no wonder this extraordinary book is a global success, with 158,000 copies sold worldwide!

A user's guide to the future: from the algorithms in DNA to why time is like a cocktail glass, interstellar migrations, transhumanism, the fate of the galaxy, and the last black hole... Every second of our lives - whether we're looking both ways before crossing the street, celebrating the birth of a baby, or moving to a new city - we must cope with an unknowable future. How do we do this? And how do we, like most living organisms, manage this impossible challenge quite well (at least most of the time)? David Christian, historian and bestselling author of Origin Story, is renowned for pioneering the emerging discipline of Big History, which surveys the whole of the past. But with Future Stories, he casts his sharp analytical eye forward, offering an introduction to the strange world of the future, and a guide to what we think we know about it at all scales, from the predictive mechanisms of single-celled organisms and tomato plants to the merging of colossal galaxies billions of years from now. Drawing together science, history and philosophy from a huge range of places and times, Christian explores how we prepare for uncertain futures, including the future of human evolution, artificial intelligence, interstellar travel, and more. By linking the study of the past much more closely to the study of the future, we can begin to imagine what the world will look like in the next hundred years and consider solutions to the biggest challenges facing us all.

A user's guide to the future: from the algorithms in DNA to why time is like a cocktail glass, interstellar migrations, transhumanism, the fate of the galaxy, and the last black hole... Every second of our lives - whether we're looking both ways before crossing the street, celebrating the birth of a baby, or moving to a new city - we must cope with an unknowable future by telling stories about what will happen next. Where is the future, the place where we set those stories? Can we trust our future stories? And what sort of futures do they show us? David Christian, historian and bestselling author of Origin Story, is renowned for pioneering the emerging discipline of Big History, which surveys the whole of the past. But with Future Stories, he casts his sharp analytical eye forward, offering an introduction to the strange world of the future, and a guide to what we think we know about it at all scales, from the predictive mechanisms of single-celled organisms and tomato plants to the merging of colossal galaxies billions of years from now. Drawing together science, history and philosophy from a huge range of places and times, Christian explores how we prepare for uncertain futures, including the future of human evolution, artificial intelligence, interstellar travel, and more. By linking the study of the past much more closely to the study of the future, we can begin to imagine what the world will look like in the next hundred years and consider solutions to the biggest challenges facing us all.