I had this feeling that, somehow, we ought to be teaching not just the history of particular nations or particular regions, but the history of humanity.
David ChristianRead
I believe human beings mark a threshold in the development of the planet, of course, but it is only part of the picture. What Big History can do is show us the nature of our complexity and fragility and the dangers that face us, but it can also show us our power, with collective learning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights humanity's role in the evolution of the planet and emphasizes our capacity for collective learning and awareness of both our strengths and vulnerabilities.
David Christian's quote reflects on the complexity and fragility of human existence within the context of 'Big History,' which encompasses a broad understanding of the past that includes natural and human processes. The quote suggests that while humans represent a significant development in the planet's history, it is crucial to recognize both the challenges we face and the power of our collective learning to address those challenges, pointing to the dual nature of our existence as both powerful and precarious.
Themes
HumanityComplexityFragilityCollective LearningBig History
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on environmental science, this quote could illustrate the importance of understanding our impact on the planet.
More from David Christian
All quotes →If, in schools, we keep teaching that history is divided into American history and Chinese history and Russian history and Australian history, we're teaching kids that they are divided into tribes. And we're failing to teach them that we also, as human beings, share problems that we need to work together with.
David ChristianRead
Similar quotes
Belgrade is the ugliest city in the world in the most beautiful place in the world.
Le CorbusierRead
Here we meet, on the page, naked and unadorned: shorn of class, race, gender, sexual identity, age and nationality.
Will SelfRead
The tears into his eyes were brought, And thanks and praises seemed to run So fast out of his heart, I thought They never would have done. -I've heard of hearts unkind, kind deeds With coldness still returning; Alas! the gratitude of men Hath oftener left me mourning.
William WordsworthRead
When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden, for everything is murky and unclear, and the burdensome practice of judging brings annoyance and weariness. What benefit can be derived from distinctions and separations?
SengcanRead
New York remains what it has always been : a city of ebb and flow, a city of constant shifts of population and economics, a city of virtually no rest. It is harsh, dirty, and dangerous, it is whimsical and fanciful, it is beautiful and soaring - it is not one or another of these things but all of them, all at once, and to fail to accept this paradox is to deny the reality of city existence.
Paul GoldbergerRead
If I deny the authority of the State when it presents my tax bill, it will soon take and waste all my property, and so harass me and my children without end. This is hard, this makes it impossible for a man to live honestly, and at the same time comfortably, in outward respects.
Henry David ThoreauRead