Origin Story

A Big History of Everything

By: David Christian

Narrated by: Jamie Jackson

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

A captivating history of the universe - from before the dawn of time through the far reaches of the distant future.

Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day - and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence?

These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History", the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. In Origin Story, Christian takes readers on a wild ride through the entire 13.8 billion years we've come to know as "history". By focusing on defining events (thresholds), major trends, and profound questions about our origins, Christian exposes the hidden threads that tie everything together - from the creation of the planet to the advent of agriculture, nuclear war, and beyond. With stunning insights into the origin of the universe, the beginning of life, the emergence of humans, and what the future might bring, Origin Story boldly reframes our place in the cosmos.

©2018 David Christian (P)2018 Recorded Books

Interesting-Fascinating-Scary

An enjoyable book to remind us who we are and where we are going. All ages will profit from the lessons in this book. I did not agree with some of the conclusions reached, such as why hominids control the earth. I think the author falls short in his assessments of the other species with whom we share this planet.

man's search for meaming....today and forever

I can't say enough about how profound this origin story is....very thought provoking....with intellectual and emotional messages that alter the human mind set for now and for all times!

Lessened by unnecessary preaching

Very informative book, learned a lot of interesting (and useless) facts about life, the universe, and everything. This was a 5-star book until i got near the end where it became a sermon about global warming. Which throws the entire book into question. Did i just read a genuine origin story or a propaganda piece? I'm irritated that i even have to ask the question. I want to know about ancient history, paleontology, anthropology, and got schooled about climate change by the end. -2 stars for ruining a fascinating book. The author could have given a Baptist sermon at the end and it would have been just as appropriate.

Novel approach to "macro history"

Narration: clear and engaging, mature voice.

Content: sensible, helpful, informative, successful approach to integrating histories of sciences and arts to describe origin of universe and evolution of humans and society.

Great Big Picture View

This is a great big history view of human origin and progress on earth and where we are heading. I highly recommend it for all.

Great narrator

The narrator was excellent and kept my attention through the more technical information. I really enjoyed the analysis of the Anthropocene period, both current and future. This was being written in 2017 and already there are things he predicts that have happened. I'd be curious to hear what the author thinks of the future of the Anthropocene now.

No new origin story here

Straight up Darwin evolution lesson with a history recap all starting with the big bang.

I recommend with factfullness

I recommend listening to this story in conjunction with factfullness.

Whether or not you agree that humanity is causing global warming Humanity's existence on this planet is tied to whether or not the planet gets warmer or colder. We need to figure out plans and implements them to keep the ecology at the optimum level for human existence. At least until we expand off this planet to occupy more than one.

A lively look at who we are & how we got here

Every culture and tradition has had its origin story, its understanding of how the world came to be as they knew it, which formed the basis for their further understanding of how to live, interact with others, get food, make clothes. Our origin stories are the basis of how we understand everything.

Now, in the early 21st century, we know far more about the origin of the universe, our sun, our planet, and life on Earth. We live in a society of unparalleled complexity, and in the last two hundred years, we have gained the ability not just to support more human beings, but to improve the daily lives of most humans on the planet, not just an elite 10% or so.

What we haven't done yet is integrate this knowledge into a new, shared origin story that helps us cope with this new, complex, and rapidly changing world.

Christian intends this as at least a first pass at a modern origin story. In a lively, highly readable or listenable style, he lays out the basics of our new knowledge of the origins of the universe, our planet, and life on Earth, as well as an overview of the evolution of our species and development of our societies, right down to how we made the transition from strictly agrarian societies to today's high-tech, rapidly changing world.

And he looks at the challenges as well as the benefits of that transition and our current power to affect our planet.

Christian makes the point, as others have in the last few years, that we now have, in essence, the controls for our only habitable planet. We decide what species live and which ones die, and we are playing with the climate controls. If we understand and master those controls in time, we have the potential to give our species the best and most comfortable lives we have ever had.

Or we could make the planet uninhabitable for such an energy-consuming culture, and drive ourselves back to the early agrarian or even hunter-gatherer level.

Or we could render the planet uninhabitable for our species altogether, and leave Earth to start over again, with other species in a climate unlike any that has existed since the first primates evolved.

Despite that potential grim outcome, I found this overall a lively and interesting book, well worth the time I spent listening to it. Recommended.

I bought this audiobook.

I have been preparing for this book for 60 years

It's like after 60 years of research and hundreds of books, courses, podcasts and inquiries, the whole big picture is elegantly put together by possibly the best wordsmith I've read in decades. My only complaint is that it took so long to get published. I really would have liked to have known all this 60 years ago; saved me a LOT of work.