Perspectives on World History
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Transcript of Perspectives on World History
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Perspectives on World History
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What is the Appropriate Scope of World History?
“Big History?”
• Considers broadest patterns of life, universe
Beginning: “Big Bang”, 13 billion years ago
End: “Big Crunch”?
• Perspective: What happens if we condensed 13 billion years – the est. age of the Universe – into 13 years?
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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 secondsIs that the appropriate scope for our WH class?
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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
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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• 55 squares / sheet
(hot dog style)• How many squares =
hominid existence?73 Sheets!!!
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Perspective: Civilization Of the 73 sheets, how
many represent non-hunter/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
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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!!!
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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)
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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”