Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity

By: David Christian, The Great Courses

Narrated by: David Christian

How is it possible for the disciplines of cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, and history to fit together? These 48 lectures answer that question by weaving a single story from accounts of the past developed by a variety of scholarly disciplines. The result is a story stretching from the origins of the universe to the present day and beyond, in which human history is seen as part of the history of our Earth and biosphere, and the Earth's history, in turn, is seen as part of the history of the universe.

Like traditional creation stories told by the world's great religions and mythologies, this lecture series provides a map of our place in space and time. But it does so using the insights and knowledge of modern science, as synthesized by a renowned historian. While you may have heard parts of this story before in courses on geology, history, anthropology, biology, cosmology, and other scholarly disciplines, Professor Christian provides more than just a recap of those disciplines. "Because of the scale on which we look at the past, you should not expect to find in it many of the familiar details, names, and personalities that you'll find in other types of historical teaching and writing," he explains. "For example, the French Revolution and the Renaissance will barely get a mention. They'll zoom past in a blur. You'll barely see them. Instead, what we're going to see are some less familiar aspects of the past. We'll be looking, above all, for the very large patterns, the shape of the past.

"Prepare yourself for a journey through time and across space, from the first moments of existence to the distant reaches of the far future."

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2008 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2008 The Great Courses

The start of every thing.

Would you consider the audio edition of Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity to be better than the print version?

Not sure I do not have a printed version of this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity?

It was all memorable, I will be listening to this again

What does Professor David Christian bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings real life to the audio version.

If you could give Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity a new subtitle, what would it be?

I think the title does not need to be changed.

Long Journey but worth it.Changes your Thinking

Covers all aspects of knowledge. Science, History, Politics, Philosophy,
Very Skimpy on the details of it all, especially in science. Presents a new way of looking at all of science, history and humanity. therefore it can change the way that you think of each.
I definitely recommend this lecture series, a bit outdated but still very relevant and very important.
I recommend viewing the pdf that comes with the audiobook, or at lest take a look at "The Great Courses" Website, for an outline on the lectures
The lecturer is every knowledgeable overall, but not a specialist an any of the topics covered, but he does not need to be, with this specific presentation. He has a great voice and presents the material brilliantly.

Thorough

the narrator is a professor so there's a sort of charm that comes with his performance. It's informative, thought-provoking. the end is as enticing as the beginning, with some anecdotes spliced in through the mountain of information. I'll re-read this. the only issue i have with the book is that he doesn't know what communism is so he doesn't talk about that topic accurately, he thinks russia was communist which it never was if you interpret communism as Karl Marx described it and how a lot of communists would describe it. soviet russia was totalitarian wheras communism was about worker's being in control of the workforce to benifit workers not like what the soviet government did.

One of my all time favorites

I wish I had a course like this as a younger lad. I have listened to many books on history, astronomy, cosmology, archeology, and so on and this one course felt like a quick summary of everything I had ever learned, but with a few important missing pieces mixed in. I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone with a scientific and enquiring mind, no matter where you are in your life’s journey.

Great intro to Big History

I very much enjoyed this. Had been reading a lot of little history and this was a nice change of pace.

Excellent!

Very interesting material and the presenter is a great public speaker. Recommended for the curious mind.

Great historical points of view

This really put things into perspective from the big picture of things, especially the importance and history of agriculture!

A Radical and Unifying Perspective on the Story of the Universe and Humanity

David Christian’s Big History presents an expansive view of the world’s history, merging cosmology, biology, anthropology, and human history into a single, coherent narrative. By situating humanity within the universe’s 13.8 billion-year timeline, Christian offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of life and civilization.

Starting with the Big Bang, the book explores the formation of stars, life on Earth, and human societies. Christian’s multidisciplinary approach connects diverse fields like physics and sociology, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things. His unifying narrative challenges us to see humanity as part of a larger cosmic process, inspiring reflection on our place in the universe.

Big History provides a fascinating and humbling view of humanity’s role in the broader history of the cosmos.

Perfect Title for an Enlightening Experience

Thank you Great Courses!

I loved this listen! I bought it because I had read about Bill Gates' suggestion that this set of lectures be adapted for High School use. He thought it a brilliant new way of looking at the structure and content of the basic history course.

Well, I think he and Professor Christian are absolutely right. This course begins with the real beginning - progresses through the formation of our universe, our solar system, and our planet to the eruption of life, division of species, and, finally, the development of human civilizations.

It's all here and presented in a fascinating way. The Professor is a wonderful speaker, and his enthusiasm for this material is evident and contagious. My husband and I listened during many drives and found ourselves several times going out of our way to avoid arrival before a lecture ended!

I hope Gates can help encourage more school systems to consider "Big History" as a high school course. It's high time for a more inclusive approach to history.

"Big History" is a long trip, but it's a total pleasure. Embrace it!

An epic narrative of our universe

In essence, this is an extraordinary journey to embark on. It will make your spine tingle as it explains where we sit in the long and complex story of our creation. It deals with incredible large scales of time, space and complexity with relative ease and knits the whole time sequence of 13.7 billion years into an elegant narrative.

This is a story everyone should hear.