The reasons for the name Big History
1.- The strength of the expression Big History, used to distinguish our Center for scientific and environmental dissemination, lies in the fact that in a small space – the municipality of Aras de los Olmos – we have a great story to tell, from the origins of the Universe to the present, when we face, with sense and in a sustainable way, the great challenges of the future.
2.- Big History is a concept established in the Anglo-Saxon academic field and has been adopted universally. Big History is the way to explain from science the meaning of the human being; to explain our relationship with the cosmos, with the reality that surrounds us, and to do so from an interdisciplinary perspective; to understand ourselves better from the knowledge of the evolution of the universe of which we are part, of that great history that goes from the big bang to the present; a knowledge that must allow us to project ourselves into the future in the best possible way.
3.- In Spanish or Valencian, in fact, the translation “great history” does not work the same that in English, it loses expressive force, which is why all the bibliography on the subject written in our languages uses the expression “Big History“. Just type in Google to verify it and, also, to see how this same concept concerns people at the forefront of knowledge and development: from different academics in European universities and other continents to figures of the stature of Bill Gates or David Christian: Big History Project).
4.- It is impossible to find another expression that covers conceptually all the content of what we can and intend to tell at the Big History Center: the teachings of astronomy, geology, botany, zoology, paleontology, archaeology, history, anthropology, engineering, social sciences, communication sciences, digitalization, care, etc.; in short, all the disciplines of knowledge that are behind a great story like the one we can and must tell.
5.- English, as a universal language, is part of our own daily life (football, running, e-mail, software, hardware, ok!, hobby, spoiler, show and a thousand other terms) and using it in our case to distinguish the Center allows us to connect the territory of rurality –to which we belong– with an interconnected and global world, focusing on other key concepts of the Big History project –democratic governance, open government, networked government– and, above all, highlighting the potential of our small large village to be at the forefront of innovations worldwide (the renewable energy project is the best example, and it is not the only one, that also from rurality we can lead these processes).
6.- The target audience to which we are especially aimed is that of girls and boys and, also, that of young people who attend primary, secondary and university education, the new generations that are to succeed us and will govern the future. For them, Big History is an expression that does not need to be explained and, in addition, it also represents an incentive to learn English that is so needed in our country. Today, science, whether we like it or not, is written, above all, in English.
7.- From the point of view of communication, Big History is a name that does not leave indifferent: first of all, it surprises “in” and “from” the first moment; secondly, it expresses everything we intend to say; thirdly, it marks our differential element with other pedagogical and dissemination initiatives; fourthly, it easily stays in people’s memories; and, fifthly and what is better, the idea it contains can also be easily communicated. It is the strength of the story, and we have the best story: Aras de los Olmos has a great story to tell. It is in that sense that Big History, from the perspective of communication, undoubtedly has an impact far superior to any other alternative.
8.- And, why not, in Aras de los Olmos everything is big, very big: the sky and the firmament with its stars, the dinosaur -our Losillasaurus-, the mountains and its impressive forest mass, the richness of its flora, its varied fauna, its historical and cultural heritage, its people, its future, … What visitors are going to see and experience, if they come to Aras de los Olmos, will surprise them, will exceed their expectations, and will trap them with its history, our great history.
