The Rise of Big History: An Evolutionary Pedagogy for the Future

Rather than teaching historical change as disconnected – alien from biological change, irrelevant to social and technological change – we have to start doing something BIGGER.

Earlier this summer, IEET fellow, Ayesha Khanna, published – along with her husband Parag -  a powerful short e-book titled Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization. In this book, the Khannas describe the need for an increasing number of “techno-sherpas” - individuals competent in guiding society in the thoughtful application of technologies towards societal values. Yet – how exactly should societies go about cultivating such techno-sherpas on a broader scale? What can we do to create a culture where all citizens have high competency in their adoption or rejection of exponentially emergent technologies?

Enter Big History. The brain child of an Australian, David Christian, some IEET followers may be familiar with his popular TED Talk (below). In short – Big History “seeks to understand the integrated history of the cosmos, earth, life, and humanity using the best available empirical evidence and scholarly methods” - but Big History is also about the future!

Last year, leading Big Historian, Fred Spier at the University of Amsterdam, published Big History and the Future of Humanity an epic tome connecting everything from the Big Bang to – well – the future of humanity; all within an interdisciplinary framework of emergent complexity. To be sure, Spier’s work is criticised most for it’s relative neglect of discussion on the disruptive role of emergent technologies on this envisioned future. This neglect, however, does not point to a weakness in the approach. Rather it points to a real need and opportunity for students of technological evolution to place our discipline firmly within the scope this rising pedagogy.

This year saw the first ever academic conference for this new field of study; sponsored by the International Big History Association (IBHA). Here, Bradley Layton gave a talk on Mechanoevolution: An Examination of the Coevolution of Humans and Technology. To be honest – I wasn’t there and his highly technical power point is a bit beyond my comprehension. Regardless of the accessibility or approach from this one presentation – I argue here that the fundamental pedagogy of Big History is critical to developing an engaged citizenry capable of comprehending the radical options for change that are increasingly at our finger tips.

So now – clearly I can’t yet offer compelling, concrete examples of Big History as shining a guiding light on how humans should shape technology for a healthy and bountiful future – but I can outline why it has such promise. Rather – “Epic of Evolution” author, Cathy McGowan Russell can. In her recent article for the IBHA newsletter, McGowan describes the promise of Big Historians to reshape the educational landscape for evolutionary studies – and I will argue – technological evolution studies as well. Relevant here are McGowan’s first two points regarding what Big History has to offer: context and wonder. The later - promoting awe and wonder at our possible futures - are in good hands with folks such as Jason Silva, IEET contributors, and a cavalcade of other inspiring visionaries. The former however – the context for a future of exponential change – is where I believe Big History will become the educational tool of choice for building strong socio-technical competencies among students of all ages.

Big History is a narrative – a narrative of dynamic change, emergent complexity, and the role of consciousness in shaping our physical and biological world. While many readers of IEET certainly “get it” already – it’s clear that a great many fellow earthlings do not. Rather than teaching historical change as disconnected – alien from biological change, irrelevant to social and technological change – we have to start doing something BIGGER. If you are a teacher of students of any age – I strongly encourage you to check out the IBHA for resources and ways to develop a program at your school. If you are a follower of IEET – I’d encourage the same; schools around the world are always in need of knowledgeable volunteers – bring your passion for the future and package it within a context of Big History!

Links:

International Big History Association: http://www.ibhanet.org/

David Christian’s TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_christian_big_history.html

Bradley Layton’s Talk on Mechanoevolution: http://www.ibhanet.org/Resources/Documents/conference2012/Layton_Talk_20120805_IBHA.pdf

The Epic of Evolution: http://epicofevolution.com/