As the planet has evolved since the beginning of time, everything, including plants, humans, and animals, have gotten more complicated. In Big History, we break up time, or periodize, by using major changes in complexity as markers for these changes. We call these turning points thresholds of increasing complexity.
Driving Question: How did complexity get us to where we are now?
- Think about the world around you. It’s pretty complex! Computers, cars, cell phones - our world has certainly changed over the course of human history. In what ways has the world become more complex since the Big Bang? What were the key turning points in the history of the Universe that got us to where we are today?
Word of the Day: Thresholds of Increasing Complexity
- These are moments in the history of the Universe when specific ingredients under the right "Goldilocks Conditions" come together to create something new and more complex. Think of a threshold as a turning point.
Lesson
- Go to Khan Academy and watch the “Introduction to Thresholds of Increasing Complexity” video. Think about how the video relates to the definition above and keep track of the thresholds that mark important turning points in our Big History course.
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- In your journal today, construct a timeline of the coronavirus pandemic. You might draw on entries from your previous journals. Include the major turning points, or thresholds, in the history of the virus. These thresholds should mark major turning points, especially toward complexity.
- Aim for at least four big thresholds, and make sure to name each one!
