Our 2021 winter series will be on the topic of Big History. Big History looks at historical change over large sweeps of time as opposed to looking at events in some particular little period. Big History offers us insight into how we humans became the way we now are: how it became possible for beings like us to exist, how our world changed around us, how our situation changed over time, how our future may evolve, and even how human nature became the way it is. We will listen to and discuss talks by thinkers such as Jared Diamond, Steven Pinker, and Yuval Noah Harari. The series will start on Tuesday 12 January and run until Tuesday 30 March.
12 January 2021
David Christian, "The history of our world in 18 minutes," 2011, 17:22
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_christian_the_history_of_our_world_in_18_minutes
19 January 2021
Peter Ward, "A theory of earth's mass extinctions," 2008, 19:24
https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_ward_a_theory_of_earth_s_mass_extinctions
26 January 2021
Louise Leakey, "A dig for humanity's origins, " 2008, 15:16
https://www.ted.com/talks/louise_leakey_a_dig_for_humanity_s_origins
2 February 2021
Yuval Noah Harari, "What explains the rise of humans," 2015, 1700
https://www.ted.com/talks/yuval_noah_harari_what_explains_the_rise_of_humans
9 February 2021
Genevieve von Petzinger, "Why are these 32 symbols found in caves all over Europe?" 2015: 11:57
16 February 2021
Ian Barnes, "What archaeology and DNA can teach us about prehistoric migration," 2018, 13:49
23 February 2021
Lara Durgavich, "An evolutionary perspective on human health and disease," 2019, 15:20
https://www.ted.com/talks/lara_durgavich_an_evolutionary_perspective_on_human_health_and_disease
2 March 2021
Neil MacGregor, "2600 years of history in one object," 2011, 19:22
https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_macgregor_2600_years_of_history_in_one_object
9 March 2021
Steven Pinker, "The surprising decline in violence," 2007, 19:01
https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_the_surprising_decline_in_violence
16 March 2021
Tiffany Watt Smith, "The history of human emotions " 2017, 14:12
https://www.ted.com/talks/tiffany_watt_smith_the_history_of_human_emotions
23 March 2021
Jared Diamond, "Why do societies collapse," 2003, 18:03
https://www.ted.com/talks/jared_diamond_why_do_societies_collapse
30 March 2021
Steven Pinker, "Is the world getting better or worse: a look at the numbers," 2018, 18:24
https://www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_is_the_world_getting_better_or_worse_a_look_at_the_numbers