Why write a history of the 21st century?

There are still 18 years until the end of the century, and it may seem foolhardy for a mere human to attempt to analyse the data at our disposal. After all, we're awash with information from every corner of the world, covering every second of the century. A thousand detailed histories of individuals and systems can be generated at the snap of a finger.

And yet I believe that our century, as it draws to a close, demands not that we look at just the big picture but at the small details, on the scale at which human lives are lived...

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