Introduction: Logos, Mythos, and Truth

Abstract

Stories are getting bigger. Cosmologists and evolutionary biologists are pushing the limits of scientific speculation with daring, controversial narratives about the Big Picture. A broad scholarly movement crossing disciplinary lines, ranging from archaeology to zoology, suggests provocative theories about the origins of all sorts of things—speech, time, music, professional sports. “Big History” challenges micro-history. David Christian makes the case against specialization, calling on researchers to risk taking history back to the Big Bang, reaching across disciplinary borders to broaden the sense of how humans came to be (Eakins 2002, A-17). Micro-scholars are not amused. They “strongly doubt that plate tectonics and the Big Bang might contribute to our understanding of history” (19). They are quick to point out small errors (and sometimes big mistakes). In an age of specialization, big stories inevitably appear somewhat generalist and even amateur.