A History of Big History

• 1. Introduction: what is big history?; 2. A history of big history; 3. Big history in theory and practice; 4. Conclusion; Bibliography.

'… things might look different if we see Big History neither as an ambitious research programme nor as a scientistic creation myth but, in line with the middle option outlined above, as a narrative popularization of the tremendous progress made by the historical sciences over the last two hundred years - and for that purpose it could perhaps be described as 'true enough' (Elgin 2017). As such an amalgam, it would make a fascinating object of further study for both philosophers and historians. Both groups would do well to start this engagement with Hesketh's short and incisive book.' Georg Gangl, Metascience