Humanity and the Cosmos: Who are you? What are you? And how can you put your life into perspective?

Theme

Humanities; Science; Archaeology; History

Content

Our story starts with the Big Bang and ends with you. Along the way we encounter the birth of the solar system, the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, and the deep origins of our human story. We will be making sense of what makes us humans such a special and deadly species; and at the end of the talk, we contemplate our future.

Why this is important?

We now live on a human planet – a world profoundly shaped by over seven billion humans. Humans have developed godlike powers to destroy or reshape the world, through things like nuclear war or climate change. How did this come about? What makes us such a powerful and potent species, and how can we hope to make our planet a better place? Making sense of those questions, this broad and bold talk aims to put our story into the largest possible perspective.

Key descriptors

Humanity; The Universe; Big History

Suggested age range

Years 7 to 13