The Dawn of the Cosmos
The universe as it is today exists due to many, many conditions and factors, a lot of which have existed due to sheer luck and against all odds, is now more complex than ever before. This complexity arises due to the irregular distribution of energy which provides the ‘goldilocks conditions’ for this change. High entropy in some places allows for low entropy in others, which in turn allows for the building of more complex things. From the Cosmic Background Radiation (CBR) causing temperature fluctuations across the universe, to the onset of agriculture uniting people and leading to the generation of collective knowledge; This imbalance has played a role in every threshold moment.
These so-called threshold moments are moments when the universe has seemingly ‘defied’ the Second Law of Thermodynamics, and rather than becoming simpler, the universe became more complex. These vital moments are interspersed across the length of the history of the universe, however, there are only about 8 major threshold moments that have had a truly significant impact on the course of the history of the whole cosmos. Each of these threshold moments have arisen due to certain vital conditions (known as “Goldilocks Conditions”), without which they may never have occurred. ‘Big History’ is the study of every one of these threshold moments, from the Big Bang to today. It analyses each moment - their goldilocks conditions, their energy flows and finally their impacts.
We understand how these complex energy flows which have built up into the intricate world around us, will gradually dissipate as the universe continues to expand. Eventually, we understand, that energy shall be so sparse that it will be practically impossible to build complex things anymore. The universe will then exist as a dark emptiness with no complex concentrations of energy. However, that is a future far from our current day existence and we live in an exciting era of growing intricacy and complexity where we can observe structures more complex than have ever been in existence - we live in “The Dawn of the Cosmos”.
In the Big History course, we have a chance to learn about our origin story as well; not just of our lives, families, nations, or even species, but as living organisms on a planet floating in a vast and immensely elaborate universe which came into existence 13.8 billion years ago. And this knowledge unites us all and gives us the hope that we are merely at the beginning of this great cosmic tale. The growth of complexity has just begun and we are lucky to be a part of it and actively help it grow by gradually building upon the vast bank of ‘collective knowledge’ available to humanity.
Big History takes all of human knowledge and understanding and provides a framework from which one can find their bearings in this great cosmic story, as well as draw connections between subjects and disciplines which previously may have seemed to have no connection whatsoever. Science and the Humanities are often thought of to be polar opposites rather than similar disciplines. However, both entail the interpretation of evidence in order to flesh out a narrative of past events. Science can often provide support to historical or sociological studies, and similarly, to study the advance of technology and science, the study of human behaviour and society is essential. Science and the humanities complement each other.
These interdisciplinary connections are essential to understand in the global network of today in order to facilitate the unification of people of all fields and subjects so that they can work together for the betterment of society. This doesn't necessarily mean only historians and scientists working together, but also artists, philosophers and religious thinkers.
Humanity can face its greatest challenges, from environmental degradation to technological disruption and nuclear threats, if and only if - irrespective of caste, creed, nationality, government, sex, age and religion - we can rise to a grand global unity of all of the human knowledge and acknowledge our common roots in this immense cosmic story, which has only just begun.
PDF of Big History Timeline infographic
Sources: Coursera - Big History: Connecting Knowledge , The Big History Project
©️Ayaan Dutt, 2019