The Evolution of Everything

Big History seeks to retell the human story in light of scientific advances by such methods as radiocarbon dating and genetic analysis. This book provides a deep, causal view of the forces that have shaped the universe, the earth, and humanity. Starting with the Big Bang and the formation of the earth, it traces the evolutionary history of the world, focusing on humanity's origins. It also explores the many natural forces shaping humanity, especially the evolution of the brain and behaviour. Moving through time, the causes of such important transformations as agriculture, complex societies, the industrial revolution, the enlightenment, and modernity are placed in the context of underlying changes in demography, learning, and social organization. Humans are biological creatures, operating with instincts evolved millions of years ago, but in the context of a rapidly changing world, and as we try to adapt to new circumstances, we must regularly reckon with our deep past.

• This book will be of interest to those teaching courses on Big History, particularly those that are teaching it from a scientific point of view rather than a historical one, as this will be the first book to take that approach
• It gives students a context to understand historical patterns and teaches them to discriminate ultimate from proximate causes of past events
• Describes the major causal factors of astronomy, geology, biology, human behavior, and world history