HIST2312 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Popular Science, Universal History, Expanding Earth
Week 13 HIST Lecture
Writing History in the Age of Anthropocene
1- big history and the age of
2- genesis and Chronology
3- universal history
4- the evolutionary epic
5- modern origins of big history
6- return to the big history
Big History:
• caused to be overly specialised
• not thinking about history in a grand scale
• The History Manifesto – longue duree style histories
• Play a role in shaping social policy
• Better sense on how to go about confronting the challenges of the present
• Human history situated within the context of the history of everything stretching back to the
big bang
• A narrative arch that will lead to human history
• Origin of stories of primitive societies but reply on modern science
• Increasing secularization that undermines the older narratives
• Provide a historical story of life that is universal and for everyone
• Level of the species and not the race/society
• Unpinned by a general notion of unity – unity of life and human experience
• Bringing science and history together
• Future generations use to confront the problems of the present
• Climate change major element
Anthropocene:
• Geological term that refers to the transformation of the earth system from the previous one
• To a wilder, warmer and wetter planet (from Holocene)
• Starting in 1950
• Focused on climate change
• Not just have influence the environment but have a geological force
• Humans will be able to be supported
• Need to recognize what we are doing
• Understood within the largest context
• Being placed in a timeline with threshold (big bang, stars, life on earth, origins of humans)
Genesis and Chronology:
• Bible is large scale cosmic history
• Further evets arked as days
• Geological event that threatens life
• Chronologists – produce an authorities timeline
• Used the bible to divide history (bc and ad)
• Five turning points by usher
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