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rainbowrachel's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
2.25
This book introduces and advocates for the idea of "big history", a multidisciplinary academic field which attempts to explore human existence through the context of the entire history of the universe, such as by considering how human existence as we know it is contingent on events such as big bang nucleosynthesis.
Rather than convince me that big history is a worthy concept, this book has done quite the opposite. I am now firmly convinced that it is bunk, an intellectual dead-end. The conclusions that it offers are typically either blindingly obvious or highly speculative, and verging on mysticism. I didn't see anything that offered any sort of predictive or explanatory power, to either the sciences or the humanities, beyond what its constituent disciplines bring individually.
Rather than convince me that big history is a worthy concept, this book has done quite the opposite. I am now firmly convinced that it is bunk, an intellectual dead-end. The conclusions that it offers are typically either blindingly obvious or highly speculative, and verging on mysticism. I didn't see anything that offered any sort of predictive or explanatory power, to either the sciences or the humanities, beyond what its constituent disciplines bring individually.
jbaltsar's review against another edition
3.0
Kein schlechtes Buch, aber recht knapp und nichts, was ich nicht schon vorher gewusst hätte.
Interessant am Ende die Betrachtung über Kontingenz: die Anzahl der Menschen, die tatsächlich in die nächste Generation geboren werden ist etwa 10^9. Die Zahl der Menschen, die in die nächste Generation geboren werden könnten (alle genetischen Kombinationsmöglichkeiten eingerechnet) ist etwa 10^25. 10^9 Sandkörner sind zwei Handvoll - 10^25 Sandkörner füllen 10mal den Grand Canyon! Amazing - isn't it?
Interessant am Ende die Betrachtung über Kontingenz: die Anzahl der Menschen, die tatsächlich in die nächste Generation geboren werden ist etwa 10^9. Die Zahl der Menschen, die in die nächste Generation geboren werden könnten (alle genetischen Kombinationsmöglichkeiten eingerechnet) ist etwa 10^25. 10^9 Sandkörner sind zwei Handvoll - 10^25 Sandkörner füllen 10mal den Grand Canyon! Amazing - isn't it?
beckiec18's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best books I think I have ever read. I wish someone would have handed me this book when I was in high school. Maybe even middle school. For years I studied every subject in school and just didn't get how it all fit together. I knew that it had to all fit together somehow but no teacher ever stopped to explain it to me. I always wanted to understand though and I never stopped reading or trying to figure it all out and in this (honestly quite short) book so many puzzle pieces finally clicked into place!
This is the first Big History book I have read but I'm not stopping with this one. I think everyone should study history in this way. We should change the way we teach children subjects in such a compartmentalized manner. If you are considering reading this book for any reason at all, do it! You will definitely get something from it-- probably more than you thought you would.
This is the first Big History book I have read but I'm not stopping with this one. I think everyone should study history in this way. We should change the way we teach children subjects in such a compartmentalized manner. If you are considering reading this book for any reason at all, do it! You will definitely get something from it-- probably more than you thought you would.
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