- Joined
- May 8, 2017
- Messages
- 2,570
- Reaction score
- 695
- Location
- New York City area
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Very Liberal
I just finished reading Origin Story: A Big History of Everything by David Christian. It is the inspiration for a thread I OP'd, Diverse Creation Stories (hint they are all unsatisfactory for same reason). This book came up in a discussion in Torah Study a week ago Saturday, and was highly recommended. Boy, what a head spinner!
The book is part of the school of "big history" and indeed the subtitle is A Big History of Everything. Origin Story starts out with a discussion of the "Big Bang" theory, which is good as far as it goes. Its weakness, to me, is that the start point is an explosion that created an endlessly expanding universe. As explained on a University of Michigan website (link) "at the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What exisisted (sic) prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurance (sic) was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other.
The Big Bang actually consisted of an explosion of space within itself unlike an explosion of a bomb were fragments are thrown outward." Only one problem; it doesn't explain what was there before the explosion!
The book traces the development of the world from this Big Bang, through various geographical and climactic stages, through the dawn and growth of the human species, to speculation and advocacy about the future.
It is here that David Christian, the author, in my view gets into trouble. The last thirty pages degenerates into a typical, generalized rant about the need to "treat (the biosphere) more gently." In connection with climate change, there is a paean to "a greater commitment toredistribution and a willingness to accept slower rates of economic growth." This may be seen as a departure from academic neutrality into political advocacy.
Which is why I give Origin Story three rather than five stars. I do recommend it with the caveat that the conclusion is one man's opinion.
The book is part of the school of "big history" and indeed the subtitle is A Big History of Everything. Origin Story starts out with a discussion of the "Big Bang" theory, which is good as far as it goes. Its weakness, to me, is that the start point is an explosion that created an endlessly expanding universe. As explained on a University of Michigan website (link) "at the point of this event all of the matter and energy of space was contained at one point. What exisisted (sic) prior to this event is completely unknown and is a matter of pure speculation. This occurance (sic) was not a conventional explosion but rather an event filling all of space with all of the particles of the embryonic universe rushing away from each other.
The Big Bang actually consisted of an explosion of space within itself unlike an explosion of a bomb were fragments are thrown outward." Only one problem; it doesn't explain what was there before the explosion!
The book traces the development of the world from this Big Bang, through various geographical and climactic stages, through the dawn and growth of the human species, to speculation and advocacy about the future.
It is here that David Christian, the author, in my view gets into trouble. The last thirty pages degenerates into a typical, generalized rant about the need to "treat (the biosphere) more gently." In connection with climate change, there is a paean to "a greater commitment toredistribution and a willingness to accept slower rates of economic growth." This may be seen as a departure from academic neutrality into political advocacy.
Which is why I give Origin Story three rather than five stars. I do recommend it with the caveat that the conclusion is one man's opinion.