Big history describes the development of being In the universe. There are three types of entities: matter, life, and thought. Although the three exist in a single universe, their types of being are quite different.

I am talking, first, of the world of physical existence - matter in the form of chemicals comprising material being. The second type of being, a subset of the first, is life. Living creatures have physical being but something beyond this. They have self-organizing bodies that utilize physical substances during their span of life. There is also a third type of being: thought. Although this being emanates from the brain of a certain species of life (humanity), it influences the world physically. Human thought is a dynamic force reshaping the world.

Within this framework of being, it’s possible to identify objects that represent one or another type in a pure form. Matter would be the inanimate part of nature -
air, water, rocks, etc. Life would be embodied in the plant or animal species found on earth. Thought would be the expression of human purpose both in words and action - whatever is artificial rather than occurring naturally.

This book, History of the Triple Existence, is the story of how the three types of beings emerged and developed over the past 13.8 billion years. It is the story of everything that has happened in the universe from the beginning of time to the present. The challenge is to turn that motley experience into a story that is coherent and meaningful.