Abstract

This entry aims to explore Big History, tries to determine its relation to historiography and sciences, and evaluates its narrative structure. Following the brief recapitulation of Big History idea and its history, the text proceeds by analysing David Christian's recurrent saying that Big History is "a modern creation myth," revealing numerous philosophical assumptions about the project. The entry introduces common criticisms of Big History, revolving around its alleged misunderstanding of the essence of history or by highlighting the failures of supposed predecessors of the idea. The final part explores the viability of Big History as a research programme and not only educational or narrative framework, by looking at other representatives or supporters of the Big History project.