Big history and the future of humanity
By: Fred Spier
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Chichester, U.K; Malden, MA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 272
ISBN-13: 9781444339437
Subjects: Humanity; Future; Civilization; Philosophy; World history; Human evolution; Human ecology; Biocomplexity; Complexity (Philosophy)
Description: ""Big History" places the human past within the history of life, the Earth, and the Universe. In doing so, the emerging field of historical study provides us with an overview of the known past in its entirety, from the beginning of time until the present day. In big History and the Future of Humanity, Spier presents a simple theoretical approach that not only makes big history accessible, but reveals what the future may hold for humanity."--Back cover.
Notes: Paperback edition of 2010 book.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-261) and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. Introduction to big history; title: Studying the past; title: 2. General approach; title: Matter and energy; title: Complexity; title: Energy flows and the emergence of complexity; title: The Goldilocks Principle; title: 3. Cosmic evolution : the emergence of simple forms of complexity; title: The Big Bang : no complexity; title: Recent issues concerning the Big Bang scenario; title: The Radiation Era : the emergence of complexity at the smallest scales; title: The Matter Era : the emergence of complexity at atomic and molecular scales; title: Galaxy formation : the emergence of complexity at larger scales; title: The emergence of stars; title: Stars as nuclear forges; title: 4. Our cosmic neighborhood : the emergence of greater complexity; title: The Galactic Habitable Zone; title: The emergence of our cosmic neighborhood; title: The Solar System Habitable Zone; title: Major characters tics of Earth; title: Early inner planetary history; title: Early Earth history; title: Life is very special; title: The emergence of life; title: 5. Life on Earth : the widening range of complexity; title: Planetary energy flows and life; title: The Gaia Hypothesis; title: The emergence of energy harvesting from outside; title: The emergence of the biological food web; title: The emergence of multicellular organisms; title: The emergence of brains and consciousness; title: The increase and expansion of biological complexity; title: Conquest of the land; title: Further increasing complexity; title: 6. Early human history : the emergence of the greatest known complexity; title: What makes humans different; title: Energy and complexity; title: The emergence of early humans; title: Improving social coordination; title: Tool making and brain growth; title: Brains and intestines; title: Fire control; title: Migration; title: The rise of modern humans; title: Early religion; title: 7. Recent human history : the development of the greatest known complexity; title: The agrarian revolution; title: The developing agrarian regime; title: Social effects of the agrarian revolution; title: The emergence of agrarian religions; title: Increasing agricultural complexity and declining untamed complexity; title: Early state formation; title: The emergence of big states; title: The emergence of moral religions; title: Energy and complexity in state societies; title: The first wave of globalization; title: Industrialization : the second wave of globalization; title: Informatization : the third wave of globalization; title: Energy, complexity and Goldilocks circumstances; title: 8. Facing the future A very short overview of the long future of the Universe; title: The future of Earth and life; title: The future of humanity; title: The availability of matter and energy; title: Exhaustion of critical resources and growing entropy; title: Will humans migrate to other planets?; title: A short time line of big history.