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Complexity in Universal Evolution: A Big History Perspective—An Introduction
Complexity is widely acknowledged as a foundational and pivotal concept in Big History, offering a unifying lens through which to examine the emergence and development of systems—from particles and galaxies to life, civilizations, and beyond. Yet, despite its centrality, major gaps remain in how we define, measure, and interpret complexity across different phases and scales. These gaps include challenges in theoretical focus, consistency, relevance across domains, and methodological integration. This volume was planned to provide a picture of complexity rising in Big History. By examining how complexity emerges, is sustained, and transforms across thresholds, as well as in different directions and dimensions, we seek to unify seemingly disparate phenomena under shared principles of self-organization, energy flow, and information processing. While the chapters in thisvolumedonotclaimtoresolvealloftheseissues,theyprovide meaningful contributions to the broader scholarly conversation by offering fresh perspectives and exploratory approaches. In this volume, the authors also demonstrate complexity growth as a leading trend of Big History.
Thisbookisthesecondvolumeinourthree-volumeworkdedicatedtovariousissues and dimensions of Big History and universal evolution. The first was Navigating Complexity in Big History: Exploring Periodization Across Cosmic and Biosocial Dimensions (LePoire et al., 2025). It investigates the possibilities of different Big History periodizations and numerous issues connected with this topic. This second book is named Complexity in Universal Evolution: A Big History Perspective.Itbringstogether22chaptersthatexaminetheroleofcomplexityacross its key phases: cosmic, chemical, geological, biological, human, and civilizational evolution. The chapters reflect an open-ended and interdisciplinary approach to complexity, emphasizing the need for continued dialogue and synthesis across the sciences and humanities. For an outline of the third book of our series (dedicated to phase transitions in the Big History and universal evolution), see chapter “A Big History Perspective on Complexity in Universal Evolution: Conclusions” (LePoire et al., 2026b) in this volume.
In book
