Big History : A Huge Span Of Time

We are only a brief second in the long history of the universe; many things have preceded us to make us the most complex creatures that ever walked the Earth. We are a “new level of complexity” which makes us different from all other creatures that have come before us. Our species has only been around for 250,000 years, a short time compared to the formation of the Earth at 4.5 billion years ago and the creation of the Universe at 13.7 billion years ago, but the time we have had on this Earth has greatly affected the outcome of history. In an attempt to provide an overview of human history in his book This Fleeting World, David Christian introduces it in the context of the history of the universe and then systematically breaks it down

This Fleeting World is a small summary of ‘big history’. David Christian’s book is a mere 92 pages long with an included 9-page prequel (on topics during the first years without humans such as Earth’s creation and more) and 16-page appendix on the book’s use in school, historical periodization, and a 4-page list of sources. With around 120 pages, this short book seems to be the perfect size to represent how our species’ history is only miniscule fraction compared to the history of that around us. In a world that has been around for over four and a half billion years old (6) in a universe that is 13.8 billion years old (1), homo sapiens have been around for only approximately 250,000 of those years (9). It seems impossible, though, to fit those hundreds of thousands of years into the modest text. However, Christian does the impossible and makes a well written short ‘big history’. Where many other historians before him have failed at making one, Christian’s book, This Fleeting World, summarizes history from the big-bang all

1898: US defeats Spain, which gives up all claims to Cuba and cedes it to the US.

This means that the system appears impossible to create by the course of naturalistic evolution, that is, many small and gradual steps that eventually form the functioning product. Evolutionary theory proponents have, so far, been unable to satisfactorily address the issue of irreducible complexity in biological systems such as the eye and the blood. Intelligent Design theorists, however, are easily able to explain the phenomenon of irreducible complexity by pointing to the existence of an intelligent being that either guided or created the first forms of life.

Complexity. Complexity theory, also known as complexity science, or complex systems, is a unifying framework to understand how parts of a system and their relationships give rise to the collective behaviors of a system, and how the system interacts and forms relationships with its environment. Complexity (as I will refer henceforth for ease), identified underlying parallels in phenomena as diverse as the rise and fall of civilizations, the human immune system, the origins of life, the evolution of species, the workings of the human brain, the onset of psychiatric illnesses, ecological systems, genetic selection, and the world economy. The application is prevalent in biology, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, neuroscience, sociology, anthropology, ecology, psychology, and philosophy, basically

D. it symbolized the fusion of Roman, German, and Christian elements which would make up medieval civilization in Europe.

When the emancipation proclamation was given, it gave freedom to 4 million black slaves. A huge accomplishment in the history of the country, the reaction to the creation of such a large group of newly freed slaves was diverse and not only affected by geographical location but by differences in class and ethnicity. Even the slaves themselves had varying rehers were willing to risk death or torture in the chance that they may have been able to reach the safety of the Yankee’s ranks. Most slaves, however, when informed of their imminent release, were ecstatic. One slave whose name was not revealed described her reaction to the news of emancipation as a religious experience in which she jumped, screamed,

In the Presidential Election of 1824, Andrew Jackson – the “people’s choice” – lost the ballot by way of a “corrupt bargain” in the House of Representatives. Four years later and with the backing of a larger political following, Jackson became president, campaigning to the middle class and offering the opportunities of a benevolent democracy. Jackson’s supporters, the Jacksonians, were as diverse as they were numerous; northern farmers, southern and western yeomen, and even urban immigrants all joined the ranks of the Champion of the Common Man (OI). During Andrew Jackson’s two terms, the state of Jacksonian Democracy that took form upheld the principles of equality and majority rule that bound the United States together politically, economically and socially. During the 1820s and 1830s, Jacksonians served as guardians of the Constitution and equality of economic opportunity, and functioned as a catalyst for popular sovereignty, but sacrificed some individual liberties to advance the political democracy in the union.

Throughout United States history, several presidents have stood out for making a big impact on shaping the foundation the nation was built on. Thomas Jefferson was elected as the nation’s third president in 1800 and served two terms (249). Andrew Jackson was elected as the nation’s seventh president in 1828 and also served two terms (349). Both presidents ultimately held the same ideals. Jackson actually considered himself a Jeffersonian Republican, although Jefferson did not particularly like Jackson (332). Jackson’s party title changed because the political party system during his election consisted of his supporters, who called themselves the Democratic Republicans, the Democrats, or the Jacksonian Democrats. The opposition called themselves the National Republicans (324). Both presidents were their party leaders. These two presidents were similar in their ability to make a big impact on American history. Jefferson and Jackson were more alike as presidents than they were different through their actions to support an agrarian republic, their desire to uphold states’ rights by shrinking the federal government, and their belief in a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Gaddis wrote, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past, to inform audiences why a historical consciousness should matter to us today. He used knowledge from past historians to portray the method that historical writings represent what cannot replicate. Gaddis worked to describe historical consciousness using visual imagery to express metaphors because science, history, and art all depend on metaphors. The past is something we can never have and through metaphors and representation, Gaddis accurately illustrates the meaning of a historian and how history cannot relive, retrieve or rerun but can only represent it.

In this paper, I will be outlining the costs and benefits of social and technological fixes, and then I will be assessing the use of social and technological fixes of air pollution through the use of automobiles.

This session took place with the same student who came in to work on an abstract essay for her History Beyond Boundaries class. She wanted to focus on developing a good thesis statement and to make sure her essay was structured and organized. The assignment was to write an abstract on an immigrant community and she chose Guyanese Americans living in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The planet that we reside on has a long, enduring history. Today, remnants can still be found that tell the history of the land, and of its inhabitants; many of these remnants, however, have been destroyed over time. The Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan has a rich and complicated history that continues up to the present day. The residents of Bamiyan live neighboring a wall of cliffs, speckled with caves. Bordering the city on each side, two abandoned niches are carved into the cliff face, each towering over 100 meters. These great niches once held two Buddha statues that looked out over the Bamiyan Valley, but now stand empty. Once a witness to the history of the area, these Buddhas were destroyed in 2001 when the Taliban, a terrorist group, destroyed them due to their religious imagery.

David A. Kirsch examines the manufacture of storage batteries for the electric vehicle, which was manufactured by various companies. As these companies rushed towards the manufacturing process of the vehicle, the development of its storage batteries was one of major troubles in the initial stages of the production process. These companies neglected improvements of the storage battery by failure to transform any of their previously renowned characteristics. This was despite expectations by early electric vehicle enthusiasts of a revolutionary discovery in energy storage technology. The expectations were based on the fact that engineers in the second half of the 19th Century had experienced several technological revolutions. Regardless of incremental technological changes that have relatively enhanced the capability of the ordinary electric vehicle, the expectations were never fulfilled, especially those for better storage battery. Even though there was significant progress in technologies used to manufacture the electric vehicle system, none of these technologies were able to meet the expectations.

Complexity deals with multiple systems, various elements, under numerous conditions arising from different relationships. They’re difficult to understand & identify.