Perspectives on World History
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Transcript Perspectives on World History
Perspectives on World
History
What is the Appropriate Scope of
World History?
“Big History?”
• Considers broadest
patterns of life, universe
Beginning: “Big Bang”
End: “Big Crunch”
• Perspective: What
happens if we condensed
13 billion years – the est.
age of the Universe – into
13 years?
Perspective: If the Universe began
13 years ago, then at this moment….
• The earth would have existed for about 5 years
• Multi-cellular organisms, for 7 months
• The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs would
have landed 3 weeks ago
• Hominids (bipedal apes) would have existed
for 3 days
• Our own species, Homo Sapiens, for 53
minutes
• Farm based societies, for 5 minutes
• The entire recorded history, for 3 minutes
• Modern industrial society, for 6 seconds
What is the Appropriate Scope of World
History?
Existence of “man”?
Hominids split from
great apes about 4
million years ago
•
•
•
•
Australeopithecus
Homo Habilis
Homo Erectus
Homo Sapiens /
Neanderthal
Perspective: Man’s Existence
If you made a
timeline of man’s
existence with graph
paper, how long
would it be?
• Assume 1 square =
1000 years
• How long since man
split from apes?
4 million years
How many squares?
Perspective: Man’s Existence
Look at a sheet of
graph paper…
• 55 squares / sheet
•
So how many sheets of
graph paper are needed
to make our timeline???
• 73 sheets!!!
Perspective: Civilization
Of the 73 sheets, how
many represent nonhunter/gatherer man?
• Not even one sheet only 10-12 squares!
This change from
hunter gatherer to
settled farmer is
called the “Neolithic
Revolution”
The Neolithic
Revolution led directly
to civilization
What is the appropriate scope of World
History?
Civilization was driven by
agriculture
• More food = support more
people
• More people = more mouths
to feed
• BUT more people = more food
you can grow
• With more people & more
food, you must organize =
civilization
• THUS: CIVILIZATION IS ALL
ABOUT FOOD SURPLUS!!!
Why have Humans Succeeded?
Humans have been
successful at adapting to
their environment
• Natural selection (genetic)
• Individual learning (trial &
error)
• “Collective learning”
(Education, record keeping)
Since Industrial Revolution,
man has been successful at
adapting environment to
them
Appropriate Scope of World
History? Study of Civilization
Major points of
World History
• Neolithic
Revolution
• Rise of Civilization
• Columbian
Exchange
• Industrial
Revolution
• Modern Era
The “Columbian Exchange”