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Science as a Modern Creation Story

Science as a Modern Creation Story

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The New York Academy of Sciences

Bill Gates says David Christian's Big History course is his all-time favorite from the Teaching Company. "The course is so broad that it synthesizes the history of everything including the sciences into one framework," Gates writes on his website. In fact, Gates is so excited about what Christian has to say, that he's helping foot the bill to offer a version of David Christian's Big History course for high school students for free online. Don't miss your chance to catch David Christian live for a 60-minute lecture at the New York Academy of Sciences!

Who are we? How did we get here? What does it all mean? After thousands of years trying, we can answer two of these big questions. Modern science has discovered a progressively factual account of the universe and ourselves. It spans some 13.7 billion years from the primordial flaring forth of the early universe to the rapid flaring forth of our global civilization. The story blends cosmology, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, anthropology, sociology and history into a single, compelling narrative. It encompasses all nations, all cultures, and all times.

What does it all mean? That depends on how you interpret this great story and the future we create together in the 21st century and beyond. This “Big History” is perhaps the most remarkable achievement of human civilization, but it is rarely taught and studied as such. It may also be an essential tool in promoting excellence in education, transcending dangerous conflicts, effectively addressing the economic and environmental challenges of our global civilization, and securing our common future.

In the kickoff of its five-part History of Science Series, "From Stone Age to Internet Age: How Science Has Evolved over Time," Science & the City presents an evening with David Christian, a professor of history at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Born in Brooklyn, New York to British and American parents, David Christian grew up in Africa and in England. He earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University, specializing in Russian history. Subsequently he taught at Macquarie for 30 years, where he first began teaching his Big History curriculum with colleagues from the science faculty. In 2002, he became a professor at San Diego State University and in 2009 returned to Macquarie. Professor Christian is author of the widely acclaimed book "Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History," which mirrors the content of his course, which was recently made into a 48 lecture series (30 minutes each) by the Teaching Company.

Reception to Follow

Please note:
Transmission of presentations via the webinar is subject to individual consent by the speakers. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that every speaker's presentation will be broadcast in full via the webinar. To access all speakers' presentations in full, we invite you to attend the live event in New York City where possible.


Series Media Sponsor


This event is part of the From Stone Age to Internet Age: How Science Has Evolved over Time Series, which also includes the following events:

From Stone Tools to the Internet: How Humans Adapt to Technology
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Visualizing the Brain from Antiquity to the 21st Century
Wednesday, December 15, 2010 | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
You Are What You Eat: The Long History of Knowing about Our Food, Our Bodies, and Ourselves
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 | 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Historic Tales of the Periodic Table: An Evening with Sam Kean
Thursday, February 17, 2011 | 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Register for the whole series now.

Speaker

David Christian, DPhil

Macquarie University

David Christian is a professor of history at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Born in Brooklyn, New York to British and American parents, he grew up in Africa and in England. He earned his B.A. and Ph.D. at Oxford University, specializing in Russian history. Subsequently he taught at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia for thirty years, where he first began teaching his Big History curriculum with colleagues from the science faculty. In 2002, Christian became a professor at San Diego State University and in 2009 returned to Macquarie. Professor Christian is author of the widely acclaimed book "Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History," which mirrors the content of his course. The Big History course was recently made into a 48 lecture series (30 minutes each) by the Teaching Company.

 

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