David Christian: The history of our world in 18 minutes | TED Talk

Video 1: The History of Our World

First, a video.

Yes, it is a scrambled egg.

But as you look at it, I hope you'll begin to feel just slightly uneasy.

Because you may notice that what's actually happening is that the egg is unscrambling itself.

And you'll now see the yolk and the white have separated.

And now they're going to be poured back into the egg.

And we all know in our heart of hearts that this is not the way the universe works.

A scrambled egg is mush --tasty mush -- but it's mush.

An egg is a beautiful, sophisticated thing that can create even more sophisticated things,such as chickens.

And we know in our heart of hearts that the universe does not travel from mush to complexity.

In fact, this gut instinct is reflected in one of the most fundamental laws of physics,the second law of thermodynamics,or the law of entropy.

What that says basically is that the general tendency of the universe

is to move from order and structure to lack of order, lack of structure --in fact, to mush.

And that's why that video feels a bit strange.

And yet, look around us.

What we see around us is staggering complexity.

Eric Beinhocker estimates that in New York City alone,there are some 10 billion SKUs, or distinct commodities, being traded.

That's hundreds of times as many species as there are on Earth.

And they're being traded by a species of almost seven billion individuals,

who are linked by trade,travel, and the Internet into a global system of stupendous complexity.

Questions

What does the second law of thermodynamics say about the universe?

>the universe tends to move from order to chaos.

How does Christian describe the world around us? 

>Life is becoming increasing complex.

Which of the following is mush?

>mushed potatoes

If something is stupendous, 

>it is amazing or great

What that says basically is that the general tendency of the universe is to move from order and structure to lack of order, lack of structure --in fact, to mush.

The general tendency of the universe is to move from order and structure to lack of order.