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[[Image:Teilhard-de-Chardin-3.jpg|thumb|Pierre Teilhard de Chardin]]
* Photo link: http://www.cycle-of-life.net/images/teilhard%20de%20chardin.jpg
'''Pierre Teilhard de Chardin''' ({{IPA2|pjɛʀ tejaʀ də ʃaʀdɛ̃}}; [[May 1]], [[1881]] – [[April 10]], [[1955]]) was a [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] priest trained as a [[Paleontology|paleontologist]] and a [[philosopher]], and was present at the discovery of [[Peking Man]]. Teilhard de Chardin conceived such ideas as the [[Omega Point]] and the [[Noosphere]].


In setting forth this sweeping account of the unfolding of the material cosmos, he abandoned the literal interpretation of the creation account in the Book of [[Genesis]] in favor of a metaphorical interpretation. In so doing he displeased certain officials in the [[Roman Curia|Roman Catholic Curia]], who considered that this undermined the doctrine of [[original sin#Original sin in Catholicism|original sin]] developed by [[Saint Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] from his understanding of the story of the [[The Fall of Man|Fall of Man]]. It was for this reason that Teilhard's account became controversial amongst certain church officials. His work was denied publication while he was living due to the opposition of the Roman [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith|Holy Office]].  
* Bio link: [https://teilharddechardin.org/teilhard-de-chardin/biography/ the formative years, the years of travel, and the final years in New York] : from the American Teilhard Association.


== Biography ==
===Early years===
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was born in [[Orcines]], close to [[Clermont-Ferrand]], in [[France]]. He was the fourth child of a large family. His father, an amateur naturalist, collected stones, insects and plants, and promoted the observation of nature in the household. Teilhard's spirituality was awakened by his mother. When he was 11, he went to the Jesuit college of Mongré, in [[Villefranche-sur-Saône]], where he completed baccalaureates of philosophy and mathematics. Then, in [[1899]], he entered the Jesuit novitiate at [[Aix-en-Provence]] where he began a philosophical, theological and spiritual career.


As of the summer [[1901]], the [[Waldeck-Rousseau]] laws, which submitted congregational associations' properties to state control, forced the Jesuits into exile in the [[United Kingdom]]. The young Jesuit students had to continue their studies in [[Jersey]]. In the meantime, Teilhard earned a licentiate of literature in [[Caen]] in [[1902]].
=Contextual Quote=


===Jesuit training===
"Teilhard was one of the first scientists to realize that the human and the universe are inseparable. The only universe we know about is the universe that brought forth the human. Teilhard understood this. He understood that the human story and the universe story identified with each other. The immersion into the deep creative powers of the universe is the most direct contact a human can have with the divine. Such is the spirituality that Teilhard makes available to us. A spirituality that is rooted not in the spatial cosmos of Ptolemy, but in the time-developmental universe that the scientists have detected."
From [[1905]] to [[1908]], he taught [[physics]] and [[chemistry]] in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]], at the [[Jesuit]] College of the Holy Family. He wrote "...it is the dazzling of the East foreseen and drunk greedily ... in its lights, its vegetation, its fauna and its deserts." (''Letters from Egypt'' (1905-1908) — ''Editions Aubier'')


Teilhard studied theology in [[Hastings]], in [[Sussex]] (United Kingdom), from [[1908]] to [[1912]]. There he synthesized his scientific, philosophical and theological knowledge in the light of evolution. His reading of ''l'Evolution Créatrice'' (The Creative Evolution) by [[Henri Bergson]] was, he said, the "catalyst of a fire which devoured already its heart and its spirit." His views on evolution and religion particularly inspired the evolutionary biologist [[Theodosius Dobzhansky]], who wrote the essay ''[[Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution]]''. Teilhard was ordained a priest on [[August 24]], [[1911]], aged 30.
- Thomas Berry, geologian [https://earthlight.org/essay39_king.html]


===Paleontology===
From [[1912]] to [[1914]], Teilhard worked in the paleontology laboratory of the ''[[Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle]]'', in [[Paris]], studying the [[mammal]]s of the middle [[Tertiary]] sector. Later he studied in [[Europe]]. Professor [[Marcellin Boulle]], specialist in [[Neandertal]] studies, gradually guided him towards human [[paleontology]]. At the Institute of Human Paleontology, he became a friend of [[Henri Breuil]] and took part with him, in [[1913]], in excavations in the prehistoric painted caves in the northwest of [[Spain]], at the [[Cave of Castillo]].


===War service===
=Bio=
Mobilised in December [[1914]], Teilhard served in [[World War I]] as a stretcher-bearer in the 8th regiment of [[Morocco|Moroccan]] riflemen. For his valour, he received several citations including the ''Médaille Militaire'' and the [[Légion d'honneur|Legion of Honor]].


Throughout these years of war he developed his reflections in his diaries and in letters to his cousin, Marguerite Teillard-Chambon, who later edited them into a book: ''Genèse d'une pensée'' (''Genesis of a thought''). He confessed later: "...the war was a meeting "... with the Absolute." In [[1916]], he wrote his first essay: ''La Vie Cosmique'' (''Cosmic life''), where his scientific and philosophical thought was revealed just as his mystical life. He pronounced his solemn wish to become a Jesuit in [[Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon]], on [[May 26]], [[1918]], during a leave. In August [[1919]], in Jersey, he would write ''Puissance spirituelle de la Matière'' (''the spiritual Power of Matter''). The complete essays written between [[1916]] and [[1919]] are published under the following titles:
'''Pierre Teilhard de Chardin''' May 1, 1881 – April 10, 1955 was a Jesuit Priest and a member of the Society of Jesus, trained as a paleontologist and a philosopher, and was present at the discovery of Peking Man. Teilhard de Chardin conceived such ideas as the [[Omega Point]] and the [[Noosphere]], which many suggest predicted the internet or something like it.
*''Ecrits du temps de la Guerre'' (''Written in time of the War'') (TXII of complete Works) — ''Editions du Seuil''
*''Genèse d'une pensée'' (letters of [[1914]] to [[1918]]) — ''Editions Grasset''


Teilhard followed at the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] three unit degrees of natural science: [[geology]], [[botany]] and [[zoology]]. His thesis treated of the mammals of the French lower [[Eocene]] and their stratigraphy. After [[1920]], he lectured in geology at the Catholic Institute of Paris, then became an assistant professor after being granted a science Doctorate in [[1922]].


===China===
=Publications=
In [[1923]] he traveled to [[China]] with Father [[Emile Licent]], who was in charge in [[Tianjin]] for a significant laboratory collaborating with the Natural history museum in Paris and the Marcellin Boule laboratory. Licent carried out considerable basic work in connection with [[missionary|missionaries]] who accumulated observations of a scientific nature in their spare time. He was known as 德日進 in China.


Teilhard wrote several essays, including ''La Messe sur le Monde'' (the ''Mass on the World''), in the [[Ordos Desert]]. In the following year he continued lecturing at the Catholic Institute and participated in a cycle of conferences for the students of the Engineers' Schools. Two theological essays on "original sin" sent to a theologian, on his request, on a purely personal basis, were wrongly understood.


* July [[1920]]: ''Chute, Rédemption et Géocentrie'' (''Fall, Redemption and Geocentry'')
'''1.'''
* Spring [[1922]]: ''Notes sur quelques représentations historiques possibles du Péché originel'' (''Notes on few possible historical representations of [[original sin]]'') (Works, Tome X)


The church hierarchy required him to give up his lecturing at the Catholic Institute and to continue his geological research in China.
"De Chardin was a Jesuit priest and Paleontologist who was involved with the discovery of 'Peking Man' in China. In an essay called Homonization he wrote in 1925 (and published in his work The Vision of the Past, 1966), de Chardin introduced the term Noosphere "for the Earth's thinking envelope" based "on the model of Suess's Biosphere." Although de Chardin finished The Phenomenon of Man on the brink of the second World War it was not published until after his death decades later. The Heart of Matter was written in 1950. In that essay, which he wrote towards the end of his life, he "tried to describe in a sort of autobiography the general process and the principal stages of 'the emergence of the picture'" sketched out in The Phenomenon of Man."


Teilhard travelled again to China in April [[1926]]. He would remain there more or less twenty years, with many voyages throughout the world. He settled until [[1932]] in Tientsin with Emile Licent then in [[Beijing]]. From [[1926]] to [[1935]], Teilhard made five geological research expeditions in China. They enabled him to establish a first general geological map of China.
(http://ahistoryofthepresentananthology.blogspot.com/search/label/De%20Chardin)


In [[1926]]–[[1927]] after a missed campaign in [[Gansu]] he travelled in the [[Sang-Kan-Ho]] valley near Kalgan ([[Zhangjiakou]]) and made a tour in Eastern [[Mongolia]]. He wrote ''Le Milieu Divin'' (''the divine Medium''). Teilhard prepared the first pages of his main work ''Le Phénomène humain'' (''The Human Phenomenon'').


As an Advisor to the Chinese national geological service, he supervised the geology and the paleontology of the excavations of Choukoutien ([[Zhoukoudian]]) near Beijing. In December [[1929]] he took part in the discovery of ''Sinanthropus pekinensis'', or [[Peking Man]]. He resided in [[Manchuria]] with Emile Licent, then stayed in Western Shansi ([[Shanxi]]) and northern Shensi ([[Shaanxi]]) with the Chinese paleontologist [[C. C. Young (paleontologist)|C. C. Young]] and with [[Davidson Black]], Chairman of the [[Geological Survey of China]].
'''2. From the Wikipedia:'''


After a tour in Manchuria in the area of [[Great Khingan]] with Chinese geologists, Teilhard joined the team of American Expedition Center-Asia in the [[Gobi]] organised in June and July, by the American Museum of Natural History with [[Roy Chapman Andrews]].
"Teilhard de Chardin wrote two comprehensive works, The Phenomenon of Man and The Divine Milieu.


Henri Breuil and Teilhard discovered that the ''Peking Man'', the nearest relative of ''[[Pithecanthropus]]'' from [[Java (island)|Java]], was a "''faber''" (worker of stones and controller of fire). Teilhard wrote ''L'Esprit de la Terre'' (''the Spirit of the Earth'').  
His posthumously published book, The [[Phenomenon of Man]], set forth a sweeping account of the unfolding of the cosmos and the evolution of matter to humanity, to ultimately a reunion with Christ. In the book, Teilhard abandoned literal interpretations of creation in the Book of Genesis in favor of allegorical and theological interpretations. The unfolding of the material cosmos is described from primordial particles to the development of life, human beings and the noosphere, and finally to his vision of the Omega Point in the future, which is "pulling" all creation towards it. He was a leading proponent of orthogenesis, the idea that evolution occurs in a directional, goal-driven way. Teilhard argued in Darwinian terms with respect to biology, and supported the synthetic model of evolution, but argued in Lamarckian terms for the development of culture, primarily through the vehicle of education. Teilhard made a total commitment to the evolutionary process in the 1920s as the core of his spirituality, at a time when other religious thinkers felt evolutionary thinking challenged the structure of conventional Christian faith. He committed himself to what the evidence showed.


Teilhard took part as a scientist in the famous "[[Yellow Cruise]]" in [[Central Asia]]. He joined in the northwest of Beijing in Kalgan the China group who joined the second part of the team, the [[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]] group, in [[Aksu]]. He remained with his colleagues for several months in [[Urumqi]], capital of [[Sinkiang]]. The following year the [[Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)|Sino-Japanese War]] began.
Teilhard made sense of the universe by assuming it had a vitalist evolutionary process. He interprets complexity as the axis of evolution of matter into a geosphere, a biosphere, into consciousness (in man), and then to supreme consciousness (the Omega Point). Jean Houston's story of meeting Teilhard illustrates this point.


Teilhard undertook several explorations in the south of China. He traveled in the valleys of [[Yangtze River]] and Szechuan ([[Sichuan]]) in [[1934]], then, the following year, in [[Kwang-If]] and [[Guangdong]]. The relationship with [[Marcellin Boule]] was disrupted; the Museum cut its financing on the grounds that Teilhard worked more for the Chinese Geological Service than for the Museum.
Teilhard's unique relationship to both paleontology and Catholicism allowed him to develop a highly progressive, cosmic theology which took into account his evolutionary studies. Teilhard recognized the importance of bringing the Church into the modern world, and approached evolution as a way of providing ontological meaning for Christianity, particularly creation theology. For Teilhard, evolution was "the natural landscape where the history of salvation is situated."


During all these years, Teilhard strongly contributed to the constitution of an international network of research in human Paleontology related to the whole Eastern and south Eastern zone of the Asian continent. He would be particularly associated in this task with two friends, the English/Canadian Davidson Black and the Scot [[George B. Barbour]]. Many times he would visit France or the [[United States]], only to leave these countries to go on further expeditions.
Teilhard's cosmic theology is largely predicated on his interpretation of Pauline scripture, particularly Colossians 1:15-17 (especially verse 1:17b) and 1 Corinthians 15:28. He drew on the Christo-centrism of these two Pauline passages to construct a cosmic theology which recognizes the absolute primacy of Christ. He understood creation to be "a teleological process towards union with the Godhead, effected through the incarnation and redemption of Christ, 'in whom all things hold together' (Col. 1:17)." He further posited that creation would not be complete until each "participated being is totally united with God through Christ in the Pleroma, when God will be 'all in all' (1Cor. 15:28)."


From [[1927]]–[[1928]] Teilhard stayed in France, based in Paris. He journeyed to [[Leuven]], [[Belgium]], to [[Cantal]], and to [[Ariège]], France. Between several articles in reviews, he met new people such as [[Paul Valery]] and [[Bruno de Solages]], who were to help him in issues with the [[Roman Catholic Church]].
Teilhard's life work was predicated on his conviction that human spiritual development is moved by the same universal laws as material development. He wrote, "...everything is the sum of the past" and "...nothing is comprehensible except through its history. 'Nature' is the equivalent of 'becoming', self-creation: this is the view to which experience irresistibly leads us. ... There is nothing, not even the human soul, the highest spiritual manifestation we know of, that does not come within this universal law." The Phenomenon of Man represents Teilhard's attempt at reconciling his religious faith with his academic interests as a paleontologist. One particularly poignant observation in Teilhard's book entails the notion that evolution is becoming an increasingly optional process. Teilhard points to the societal problems of isolation and marginalization as huge inhibitors of evolution, especially since evolution requires a unification of consciousness. He states that "no evolutionary future awaits anyone except in association with everyone else."[25] Teilhard argued that the human condition necessarily leads to the psychic unity of humankind, though he stressed that this unity can only be voluntary; this voluntary psychic unity he termed "unanimization". Teilhard also states that "evolution is an ascent toward consciousness", giving encephalization as an example of early stages, and therefore, signifies a continuous upsurge toward the Omega Point which, for all intents and purposes, is God.


Answering an invitation from [[Henry de Monfreid]], Teilhard undertook a journey of two months in [[Obock]] in [[Harrar]] and in [[Somalia]] with his colleague [[Pierre Lamarre]], geologist, before embarking in [[Djibouti]] to return to [[Tianjin]].
Teilhard also used his perceived correlation between spiritual and material to describe Christ, arguing that Christ not only has a mystical dimension but also takes on a physical dimension as he becomes the organizing principle of the universe — that is, the one who "holds together" the universe (Col. 1:17b). For Teilhard, Christ forms not only the eschatological end toward which his mystical/ecclesial body is oriented, but he also "operates physically in order to regulate all things"[26] becoming "the one from whom all creation receives its stability." In other words, as the one who holds all things together, "Christ exercises a supremacy over the universe which is physical, not simply juridical. He is the unifying center of the universe and its goal. The function of holding all things together indicates that Christ is not only man and God; he also possesses a third aspect—indeed, a third nature—which is cosmic." In this way, the Pauline description of the Body of Christ is not simply a mystical or ecclesial concept for Teilhard; it is cosmic. This cosmic Body of Christ "extend[s] throughout the universe and comprises all things that attain their fulfillment in Christ [so that] ... the Body of Christ is the one single thing that is being made in creation." Teilhard describes this cosmic amassing of Christ as "Christo-genesis". According to Teilhard, the universe is engaged in Christogenesis as it evolves toward its full realization at Omega, a point which coincides with the fully realized Christ. It is at this point that God will be "all in all" (1Cor. 15:28c)."


"Monfreid and I, we did not have anything any more European", joked Teilhard. "Once we dropped anchor, at night, along the [[basalt]]ic cliffs where the incense grew. The men were going by dugout to fish odd fishes within the [[coral]]s. One day, [[Hissas]] sold us a kid [[goat]] with camel milk. The crew took this opportunity "to dedicate" the ship. The old reheated Negro who served Monfreid in his whole adventures dyed with blood the rudder, the mast, the front part of the ship, then, later in the night, it was the song of the [[Qur'an]] in the medium of thick [[incense]] smoke." While in China, Teilhard developed a deep and personal friendship with [[Lucile Swan]].
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin)


=== World travels ===
=Discussion=
{{Integral thought}}From [[1930]]–[[1931]] Teilhard stayed in France and in the United States. During a conference in Paris, Teilhard stated: "For the observers of the Future, the greatest event will be the sudden appearance of a collective humane conscience and a human work to make."


From [[1932]]–[[1933]] he began to meet people to clarify issues with the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]], regarding ''Le Milieu Divin'' and ''L'Esprit de la Terre''. He met [[Helmut von Terra]], a [[Germany|German]] geologist in the International Geology Congress in [[Washington, DC]]. A few months later Davidson Black died.
==Pierre de Chardin as a Mystic==


Teilhard participated in the [[1935]] [[Yale University|Yale]]–[[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] expedition in northern and central India with the geologist [[Helmut von Terra]] and Patterson, who verified their assumptions on [[India]]n paleolithic civilisations in [[Kashmir]] and the [[Salt Range Valley]].
Ursula King (Earthlight):


He then made a short stay in [[Java (island)|Java]], on the invitation of Professor [[Ralph von Koenigsvald]] to the site of Java man. A second [[cranium]], more complete, was discovered. This [[Netherlands|Dutch]] paleontologist had found (in 1933) a tooth in a Chinese [[apothecary]] shop in 1934 that he believed belonged to a giant tall [[ape]] that lived around half a million years ago.
"PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN'S vision was one of consuming fire, kindled by the radiant powers of love. It was a mystical vision, deeply Christian in origin and orientation. Yet it broke through the boundaries of traditional orthodoxies -- whether those of science or religion -- and grew into a vision which is global in intent.


In [[1937]] Teilhard wrote ''Le Phénomène spirituel'' (''the spiritual Phenomenon'') on board the boat ''the Empress of Japan'', where he met the [[Rajah]] of [[Sarawak]]). The ship conveyed him to the United States. He received the [[Mendel medal]] granted by [[Villanova University]] during the Congress of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] in recognition of his works on human paleontology. He made a speech about [[evolution]], origins and the destiny of Man. The ''[[New York Times]]'' dated [[March 19]], [[1937]] presented Teilhard as the Jesuit who held that the man descended from monkeys. Some days later, he was to be granted ''Doctor honoris causa'' of the [[Catholic University of Boston]]. When coming to the meeting, he was told that the distinction had been cancelled.
     
His deepest desire was to see the essence of things, to find their heart, and probe into the mystery of life, its origin and goal. In the rhythm of life and its evolution, at the center of the cosmos and the world, Teilhard believed, is a divine center, a living heart beating with the fiery energy of love and compassion. Now, the heart is really a fleshly reality But the image of this very flesh, this concentration of living, breathing matter, came to symbolize for Teilhard the very core of the spirit.


He then stayed in France, where he was immobilized by [[malaria]]. During his return voyage in Beijing he wrote ''L'Energie spirituelle de la Souffrance'' (''Spiritual Energy of Suffering'') (Complete Works, tome VII).


===Death===
     
Teilhard died on [[April 10]], [[1955]] in [[New York City]], where he was in residence at the Jesuit church of St Ignatius of Loyola, [[Park Avenue]]. He was buried at the Jesuit seminary at St. Andrews-on-Hudson in [[upstate New York]]. In [[1970]], the Culinary Institute of America bought the seminary and the school opened a few years later. However, the cemetery remains on the grounds of the Culinary Institute of America in [[Hyde Park, New York]]. A few days before his death Teilhard said "If in my life I haven't been wrong, I beg God to allow me to die on Easter Sunday". The 10th April 1955 was, in fact, Easter Sunday.
His entire outlook on life was profoundly mystical, yet his mysticism was firmly grounded in contemporary scientific research. For Teilhard the mystic, seer, and believer, the immense research efforts and advances of contemporary science, despite their negative side effects and the new ethical problems they cause, ultimately lead to the adoration and worship of something greater than ourselves, to the celebration of and surrender to divinity, to the heart and soul of the world.
     
[Teilhard's] ideas were developed in direct living contact with the world, especially the Earth, the stuff of the Earth. As a scientist in the fields of geology and paleontology, he was in constant contact with the world of rocks and stones, fossils and bones, plants and animals. But he also was in touch with many different places and peoples. All of these were, for Teilhard, the tangible concrete stuff of the universe.


==Controversy with Church officials==
     
In [[1925]], Teilhard was ordered by the Jesuit Superior General [[Vladimir Ledochowski]] to leave his teaching position in France and to sign a statement withdrawing his controversial statements regarding the doctrine of original sin. Rather than leave the Jesuit order, Teilhard signed the statement and left for China.
While he worked on his scientific papers in his laboratory and office, he created most of his religious and philosophical writings in an unusual setting different from most academics, far removed from any library. His first essays were written in the trenches of the First World War, in woods and farmhouses, whenever there was respite from battle. In later years, he often composed the final version of his essays on the long boat journeys between Asia, America, and Europe, or during vacation time in his family home in the old land.


This was the first of a series of condemnations by certain church officials that would continue until long after Teilhard's death. The climax of these condemnations was a [[1962]] monitum of the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith |Holy Office]] denouncing his works. From the monitum: "The above-mentioned works abound in such ambiguities and indeed even serious errors, as to offend Catholic doctrine ... For this reason, the most eminent and most revered Fathers of the Holy Office exhort all Ordinaries as well as the superiors of Religious institutes, rectors of seminaries and presidents of universities, effectively to protect the minds, particularly of the youth, against the dangers presented by the works of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and of his followers."
     
As he wrote in his 1918 essay "My Universe": "It seems to me that every effort I have made, even when directed to a purely natural object, has always been a religious effort. Substantially, it has been one single effort. At all times, in all I've done, I'm conscious that my aim has been to obtain the absolute. I would never, I believe, have had the courage to busy myself for the sake of any other end. Science, which means all form of human activity, and religion have always been one and the same thing for me. Both have been, so far as I am concerned, the pursuit of one and the same object.


Teilhard's writings, though, continued to circulate -- not publicly, as he and the Jesuits observed their commitments to obedience, but in mimeographs that were circulated only privately, within the Jesuits, among theologians and scholars for discussion, debate and criticism.
...


As time passed, it seemed that the works of Teilhard were gradually returning to favor in the church, but the [[Holy See]] in [[1981]] clarified that recent statements by members of the church, in particular those made on the hundredth anniversary of Teilhard's birth, were not to be interpreted as a revision of previous stands taken by the church officials. Thus the 1962 statement remains official church policy to this day.


==Teachings==
THE SYMBOLISM OF FIRE was to occur in his writings again and again in the years to come. Nowhere is this vision more radiant and empowering than in the description of his mystical experiences. They truly express a vision of fire which filled him with wonder and amazement, ecstasy and joy, and made him see the world burst into flames. It is this fire which he wanted to pass on and kindle in others. His vision of fire was one of spiritual transformation drawn from the insides of both science and religion. The universe in evolution, studied in great detail in his scientific work, stimulated his zest for being. His Christian faith made him see the universal presence of Christ in all things.
In his posthumously published book, ''The Phenomenon of Man'', Teilhard sets forth a sweeping account of the unfolding of the material cosmos in the past up to and including the development of the [[noosphere]] in the present and including his vision of the [[Omega Point]] in the future.


Teilhard de Chardin is the proponent of [[orthogenesis]], the idea that [[evolution]] occurs in a directional, goal driven way. This is often viewed as a [[teleological]] view of evolution. This still would not be the same as teleological implications of [[intelligent design]]. It does not deny the capacity of evolutionary processes to explain [[complexity]]. To Teilhard, [[evolution]] unfolded from cell to organism to planet to solar system and whole-universe (see [[Gaia philosophy|Gaia theory]]).  
     
Teilhard loved the Earth and its peoples. He loved his church and his order. And he was filled with the fire of love for the ever-great Christ. For him, the symbol of fire meant the warmth and radiance of love and light, the energy to fuse and transform everything. But fire is, of course, ambivalent. I t can destroy as well as transform. In Teilhard's understanding, it is the transforming power of the energies of love which alone can create a truly human community and provide it with its strongest points. Thus, the fire of love may be the only energy capable of extinguishing the threat of another fire, namely that of universal conflagration and destruction.


Controversies about his line of thought centre on the question of whether or not the mission started by Christ ended with the crucifixion, or is it up to mankind to continue it throughout the evolutionary process. In turn, this demands to know whether or not the key to human salvation is the mediation of the Catholic Church and its sacraments or the actions undertaken by mankind in moving towards the Omega point and so realising the actual Christogenesis. Teilhard said "A religion which is supposed to be inferior to our ideal as mankind, whatever the miracles surrounding it, is a LOST RELIGION. And, again, having to choose between heaven and heart, between God and Mankind, in both cases Teilhard chose the second.
     
He considered the phenomenon of religion as central to human evolution, and the phenomenon of spirituality as the key element in religion. At the center of spirituality he perceived the phenomenon of mysticism, which he distinguished into different types. The core of mysticism, the most important and energizing type, was mysticism centered on love, a mysticism of action, which radiated outward and helped to transform and build up the
spirit of the world.


==Teilhard in popular culture==
     
*The work of Teilhard de Chardin, among others, has been controversially cited as the inspiration for [[James Redfield]]'s 1993 novel ''[[The Celestine Prophecy]]''.
Science, religion, and mysticism are always closely intertwined in Teilhard¹s thought, for his science is of central significance to a new mysticism of action and a new understanding of the world. This mysticism of action is the mysticism of unification, of bringing everything, all the diverse elements (the cosmic, human, and divine) together. It's a mysticism of transformation and of sanctification, where holiness is understood as wholeness.


*Teilhard de Chardin has been cited as the inspiration for Father Lankester Merrin, the character played by [[Max Von Sydow]] in the motion picture ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]''.
     
Just a few days before his death, Teilhard wrote his last six pages, which are entitled "Research, Work, and Adoration." One might consider this text his last intellectual testament. In it, he speaks of the conflict between science and religion -- and its solution. He refers to the fire of a new faith in the human, to be combined with religious faith.


*Novelist [[Morris West]] clearly based the character David Telemond in [[The Shoes of the Fisherman]] on Teilhard.
     
Teilhard endeavored to seek an ultimate coherence for our manyfold experiences and quests, and tried to convey a vision greater than what either traditional religion or science alone can offer us. From this perspective, religion and mysticism are part of the human search for union -- or communion -- with God via the evolutionary process of the growth and unification of the world. All human efforts, whether scientific or religious, whether action or contemplation, must finally lead to worship, adoration, and ultimately greater unity.


*In [[Dan Simmons]]' [[Hyperion Cantos]], Teilhard de Chardin has been canonized a [[saint]] in the far future. His work is a focal inspiration for the anthropologist priest character, Paul Duré. When Duré becomes [[Pope]], he takes ''Teilhard I'' as his [[regnal name]].
     
If mysticism, especially the mysticism of love, is the very heart of religion, it must provide us with the deepest springs of energy for both action and interaction with others. It cannot be a mere spirit duality, but must stand for spirit-in-and-through-matter mentality. Spiritual development and religious experience are best seen as closely interrelated with and inseparable from our human experience in general.  F. C. Happold has remarked that for Teilhard, human activity in all its forms was capable of divinization. And therefore he described Teilhard's mysticism "as a mysticism of action, action springing from the inspiration of a universe seen as moved and com-penetrated by God in the totality of its evolution...this is a new type of mysticism, the result of a profound, lifelong reconciling meditation on religious and scientific truth, and it is thus of immense relevance and significance for a scientific age such as ours." (Mysticism. Pelican Books, London, 1978, p. 395.)"


*Novelist [[Julian May]] references Teilhard's work in the novels in her [[Galactic Milieu]] series where it is the basis for the galactic consciousness that serves as the political and ethical background for the novels.
(https://earthlight.org/essay39_king.html)
*[[Jean Houston]], past president of the Association of Humanistic Psychology and former spiritual director to [[Hillary Clinton]], culminates her book ''Life-Force: The Psycho-Historical Recovery of the Self'' (1980: 218-20) by recounting her extended encounter with Teilhard when she was 13 years old, which she further elaborates in her autobiography ''A Mythic Life: Learning to Live Our Greater Story'' (1996: 142-48).


*The Symphony No. 8 by [[Edmund Rubbra]] is titled ''Hommage a Teilhard de Chardin'', in honor of his spiritual and philosophical writings which inspired the composer.
=More information=


*[[Walter J. Ong]], S.J. (1912-2003), the American cultural historian and spiritual writer, was one of the first to call Teilhard's thought regarding the noosphere to the attention of his fellow American Catholics, and Ong never tired of referring to Teilhard's evolutionary thought. See Walter J. Ong, "The Mechanical Bride: Christen the Folklore of Industrial Man," ''Social Order'' 2.2 (1952): 79-85, esp. 84; ''Frontiers in American Catholicism'' (1957); ''American Catholic Crossroads'' (1959); ''The Barbarian Within'' (1962); ''In the Human Grain'' (1967); ''The Presence of the Word: Some Prolegomena for Cultural and Religious History'' (1967), Ong's 1964 Terry Lectures at Yale University; ''Rhetoric, Romance, and Technology'' (1971); ''Interfaces of the Word'' (1977); ''Fighting for Life: Contest, Sexuality, and Consciousness'' (1981), Ong's 1979 Messenger Lectures at Cornell University; and ''Hopkins, the Self, and God'' (1986), Ong's 1981 Alexander Lectures at the University of Toronto; ''Faith and Contexts'', 4 vols. (1992-1999).
* See the [[Wikipedia:Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin]] entry


*Teilhard de Chardin has been alleged by some commentators to have been a participant in the [[Piltdown Man]] hoax. He did work at the site in 1913 on the dig at which the fraudulent items were "discovered," but the allegation of Teilhard's participation in this has been discredited by a number of historians.
* [[Noosphere]]


*Teilhard de Chardin's statement that "Everything That Rises Must Converge" was used as the title for a short story (as well as the title or the book in which it appeared) by Georgian writer (and Catholic thinker) [[Flannery O'Connor]].
* This book by a fellow Jesuit and long-time friend who had access to private and unpublished papers is considered one of the best explanations of Teilhard's religious views: . Henri de Lubac. '''The religion of Teilhard de Chardin''', trans. Rene Hague, (New York: Desclee Co., 1967).


*The teachings of Teilhard de Chardin influenced many of the engineers that were the creators of "Silicon Valley" in California. Principal among these engineers is [[Bob Noyce]], who created the integrated circuit chip and greatly advanced the world of technology with his work on computers.
* Books by and on Teilhard recommended by the British Teilhard Network, at https://www.teilhard.org.uk/publications/recommended-books/


*A residence dorm at [[Gonzaga University]] is named after Teilhard de Chardin.
* 199 books available via the Internet Archive, for reading or listening: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL26868A/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin


==References==
[[Category:Bios]]
 
[[Category:Spirituality]]
==Bibliography==
[[Category:Civilizational Analysis]]
The dates in parentheses are the dates of first publication in French and English. Most of these works were written years earlier, but Teilhard's eclesiastical order forbade him to publish them because of their controversial nature.  The essay collections are organized by subject rather than date, thus each one typically spans many years. 
* ''Le Phénomène Humain'' (1955), written 1938–40, scientific exposition of Teilhard's theory of evolution
** ''[[The Phenomenon of Man]]'' (1959), Harper Perennial 1976: ISBN 006090495X
** ''[[The Human Phenomenon]]'' (1999)
* ''Letters From a Traveler'' (1956; English translation 1962), written 1923–55
* ''Le Groupe Zoologique Humain'' (1956), written 1949, more detailed presentation of Teilhard's theories
** ''Man's Place in Nature'' (1973)
* ''Le Milieu Divin'' (1957), spiritual book written 1926–27
** ''The Divine Milieu'' (1960) Harper Perennial 2001: ISBN 0060937254
* ''L'Avenir de l'Homme'' (1959) essays written 1920–52, on the evolution of consciousness (noosphere)
** ''The Future of Man'' (1964) Image 2004: ISBN 0385510721
* ''Hymn of the Universe'' (1961; English translation 1965) Harper and Row: ISBN 0061319104, mystical/spiritual essays and thoughts written 1916–55
* ''L'Energie Humaine'' (1962), essays written 1931–39, on morality and love
**''Human Energy'' (1969) Harcort Brace Jovanovich ISBN 0156423006
* ''Je M'Explique'' (1966) Jean-Pierre Demoulin, editor ISBN 068536593X, "The Essential Teilhard" – selected passages from his works
**''Let Me Explain'' (1970) Harper and Row ISBN 0060618000, Collins/Fontana 1973: ISBN 0006233791
* ''Christianity and Evolution'', Harvest/HBJ 2002: ISBN 0156028182
* ''The Heart of the Matter'', Harvest/HBJ 2002: ISBN 0156027585
* ''Toward the Future'', Harvest/HBJ 2002: ISBN 0156028190
* ''Activation of Energy'', Harvest/HBJ 2002: ISBN 0156028174, essays written 1939–55, on the universality and irreversability of human action
 
==External links ==
===favourable to Teilhard===
*[http://www.orgs.bucknell.edu/teilhard/index.htm Teilhard de Chardin] – The American Teilhard Association homepage
*[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.06/teilhard.html A Globe, Clothing Itself With a Brain] from WIRED magazine
*[http://www.richmond.edu/~jpaulsen/teilhard/isnoogen.html Is Noogenesis Progressing?] – essay
*[http://www.webcom.com/gaia/tdc.html The Human Phenomenon] – an excerpt from the book
*[http://www.humanevol.com Human Evolution Research Institute]
*[http://maryann.enigmadream.com/Noetic3/index.php Noetic Art] – based on quotes distilled from Teilhard
*[http://www.earthhealing.info/ecospirit.html An Eco-spirituality Through The Seasons] by Albert J. Fritsch, SJ, PhD
*[http://www.netage.org/teilhard.htm Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: A Human Phenomenon] – essay
 
===unfavourable to Teilhard===
*[http://www.trosch.org/for/teilhard-keene99l.htm Teilhard, Darwin, and the Cosmic Christ]
*[http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=3160 Catholic church warning] regarding the writings of Father Teilhard de Chardin
*[http://www.rtforum.org/lt/lt25.html Wolfgang Smith, Teilhardism and the New Religion] – an analysis and refutation of the teachings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
*[http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Medawar/phenomenon-of-man.html Review of ''The Phenomenon of Man'']
 
===Other===
*[http://theoblogical.org/dlature/united/ph2paper/noosph.html Cyberspace and the Dream of Teilhard de Chardin]
*[http://home.tiac.net/~cri_a/piltdown/winslow1.html Is Teilhard Off the Hook?] – article from ''Science 83'' refuting [[S J Gould]]'s conjecture in ''The Panda's Thumb'' that Teilhard was involved in the Piltdown hoax. 
*[http://www.clarku.edu/~piltdown/map_prim_suspects/Teilhard_de_Chardin/Chardin_defend/Teilhardandpilthoax.html Teilhard and the Piltdown hoax] – an article from 1981 ''Antiquity'' also dismissing Gould's claim
*[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/piltdown.html#who_teilhard Piltdown] article considering many suspects and also exonerating Teilhard
 
 
[[Category:1881 births|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
[[Category:1955 deaths|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
[[Category:French paleontologists|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
[[Category:French philosophers|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
[[Category:French theologians|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
[[Category:Jesuits|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
[[Category:Roman Catholicism and Science|Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre]]
 
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Latest revision as of 12:50, 14 August 2023


Contextual Quote

"Teilhard was one of the first scientists to realize that the human and the universe are inseparable. The only universe we know about is the universe that brought forth the human. Teilhard understood this. He understood that the human story and the universe story identified with each other. The immersion into the deep creative powers of the universe is the most direct contact a human can have with the divine. Such is the spirituality that Teilhard makes available to us. A spirituality that is rooted not in the spatial cosmos of Ptolemy, but in the time-developmental universe that the scientists have detected."

- Thomas Berry, geologian [1]


Bio

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin May 1, 1881 – April 10, 1955 was a Jesuit Priest and a member of the Society of Jesus, trained as a paleontologist and a philosopher, and was present at the discovery of Peking Man. Teilhard de Chardin conceived such ideas as the Omega Point and the Noosphere, which many suggest predicted the internet or something like it.


Publications

1.

"De Chardin was a Jesuit priest and Paleontologist who was involved with the discovery of 'Peking Man' in China. In an essay called Homonization he wrote in 1925 (and published in his work The Vision of the Past, 1966), de Chardin introduced the term Noosphere "for the Earth's thinking envelope" based "on the model of Suess's Biosphere." Although de Chardin finished The Phenomenon of Man on the brink of the second World War it was not published until after his death decades later. The Heart of Matter was written in 1950. In that essay, which he wrote towards the end of his life, he "tried to describe in a sort of autobiography the general process and the principal stages of 'the emergence of the picture'" sketched out in The Phenomenon of Man."

(http://ahistoryofthepresentananthology.blogspot.com/search/label/De%20Chardin)


2. From the Wikipedia:

"Teilhard de Chardin wrote two comprehensive works, The Phenomenon of Man and The Divine Milieu.

His posthumously published book, The Phenomenon of Man, set forth a sweeping account of the unfolding of the cosmos and the evolution of matter to humanity, to ultimately a reunion with Christ. In the book, Teilhard abandoned literal interpretations of creation in the Book of Genesis in favor of allegorical and theological interpretations. The unfolding of the material cosmos is described from primordial particles to the development of life, human beings and the noosphere, and finally to his vision of the Omega Point in the future, which is "pulling" all creation towards it. He was a leading proponent of orthogenesis, the idea that evolution occurs in a directional, goal-driven way. Teilhard argued in Darwinian terms with respect to biology, and supported the synthetic model of evolution, but argued in Lamarckian terms for the development of culture, primarily through the vehicle of education. Teilhard made a total commitment to the evolutionary process in the 1920s as the core of his spirituality, at a time when other religious thinkers felt evolutionary thinking challenged the structure of conventional Christian faith. He committed himself to what the evidence showed.

Teilhard made sense of the universe by assuming it had a vitalist evolutionary process. He interprets complexity as the axis of evolution of matter into a geosphere, a biosphere, into consciousness (in man), and then to supreme consciousness (the Omega Point). Jean Houston's story of meeting Teilhard illustrates this point.

Teilhard's unique relationship to both paleontology and Catholicism allowed him to develop a highly progressive, cosmic theology which took into account his evolutionary studies. Teilhard recognized the importance of bringing the Church into the modern world, and approached evolution as a way of providing ontological meaning for Christianity, particularly creation theology. For Teilhard, evolution was "the natural landscape where the history of salvation is situated."

Teilhard's cosmic theology is largely predicated on his interpretation of Pauline scripture, particularly Colossians 1:15-17 (especially verse 1:17b) and 1 Corinthians 15:28. He drew on the Christo-centrism of these two Pauline passages to construct a cosmic theology which recognizes the absolute primacy of Christ. He understood creation to be "a teleological process towards union with the Godhead, effected through the incarnation and redemption of Christ, 'in whom all things hold together' (Col. 1:17)." He further posited that creation would not be complete until each "participated being is totally united with God through Christ in the Pleroma, when God will be 'all in all' (1Cor. 15:28)."

Teilhard's life work was predicated on his conviction that human spiritual development is moved by the same universal laws as material development. He wrote, "...everything is the sum of the past" and "...nothing is comprehensible except through its history. 'Nature' is the equivalent of 'becoming', self-creation: this is the view to which experience irresistibly leads us. ... There is nothing, not even the human soul, the highest spiritual manifestation we know of, that does not come within this universal law." The Phenomenon of Man represents Teilhard's attempt at reconciling his religious faith with his academic interests as a paleontologist. One particularly poignant observation in Teilhard's book entails the notion that evolution is becoming an increasingly optional process. Teilhard points to the societal problems of isolation and marginalization as huge inhibitors of evolution, especially since evolution requires a unification of consciousness. He states that "no evolutionary future awaits anyone except in association with everyone else."[25] Teilhard argued that the human condition necessarily leads to the psychic unity of humankind, though he stressed that this unity can only be voluntary; this voluntary psychic unity he termed "unanimization". Teilhard also states that "evolution is an ascent toward consciousness", giving encephalization as an example of early stages, and therefore, signifies a continuous upsurge toward the Omega Point which, for all intents and purposes, is God.

Teilhard also used his perceived correlation between spiritual and material to describe Christ, arguing that Christ not only has a mystical dimension but also takes on a physical dimension as he becomes the organizing principle of the universe — that is, the one who "holds together" the universe (Col. 1:17b). For Teilhard, Christ forms not only the eschatological end toward which his mystical/ecclesial body is oriented, but he also "operates physically in order to regulate all things"[26] becoming "the one from whom all creation receives its stability." In other words, as the one who holds all things together, "Christ exercises a supremacy over the universe which is physical, not simply juridical. He is the unifying center of the universe and its goal. The function of holding all things together indicates that Christ is not only man and God; he also possesses a third aspect—indeed, a third nature—which is cosmic." In this way, the Pauline description of the Body of Christ is not simply a mystical or ecclesial concept for Teilhard; it is cosmic. This cosmic Body of Christ "extend[s] throughout the universe and comprises all things that attain their fulfillment in Christ [so that] ... the Body of Christ is the one single thing that is being made in creation." Teilhard describes this cosmic amassing of Christ as "Christo-genesis". According to Teilhard, the universe is engaged in Christogenesis as it evolves toward its full realization at Omega, a point which coincides with the fully realized Christ. It is at this point that God will be "all in all" (1Cor. 15:28c)."

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin)

Discussion

Pierre de Chardin as a Mystic

Ursula King (Earthlight):

"PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN'S vision was one of consuming fire, kindled by the radiant powers of love. It was a mystical vision, deeply Christian in origin and orientation. Yet it broke through the boundaries of traditional orthodoxies -- whether those of science or religion -- and grew into a vision which is global in intent.


His deepest desire was to see the essence of things, to find their heart, and probe into the mystery of life, its origin and goal. In the rhythm of life and its evolution, at the center of the cosmos and the world, Teilhard believed, is a divine center, a living heart beating with the fiery energy of love and compassion. Now, the heart is really a fleshly reality But the image of this very flesh, this concentration of living, breathing matter, came to symbolize for Teilhard the very core of the spirit.


His entire outlook on life was profoundly mystical, yet his mysticism was firmly grounded in contemporary scientific research. For Teilhard the mystic, seer, and believer, the immense research efforts and advances of contemporary science, despite their negative side effects and the new ethical problems they cause, ultimately lead to the adoration and worship of something greater than ourselves, to the celebration of and surrender to divinity, to the heart and soul of the world.

[Teilhard's] ideas were developed in direct living contact with the world, especially the Earth, the stuff of the Earth. As a scientist in the fields of geology and paleontology, he was in constant contact with the world of rocks and stones, fossils and bones, plants and animals. But he also was in touch with many different places and peoples. All of these were, for Teilhard, the tangible concrete stuff of the universe.


While he worked on his scientific papers in his laboratory and office, he created most of his religious and philosophical writings in an unusual setting different from most academics, far removed from any library. His first essays were written in the trenches of the First World War, in woods and farmhouses, whenever there was respite from battle. In later years, he often composed the final version of his essays on the long boat journeys between Asia, America, and Europe, or during vacation time in his family home in the old land.


As he wrote in his 1918 essay "My Universe": "It seems to me that every effort I have made, even when directed to a purely natural object, has always been a religious effort. Substantially, it has been one single effort. At all times, in all I've done, I'm conscious that my aim has been to obtain the absolute. I would never, I believe, have had the courage to busy myself for the sake of any other end. Science, which means all form of human activity, and religion have always been one and the same thing for me. Both have been, so far as I am concerned, the pursuit of one and the same object.

...


THE SYMBOLISM OF FIRE was to occur in his writings again and again in the years to come. Nowhere is this vision more radiant and empowering than in the description of his mystical experiences. They truly express a vision of fire which filled him with wonder and amazement, ecstasy and joy, and made him see the world burst into flames. It is this fire which he wanted to pass on and kindle in others. His vision of fire was one of spiritual transformation drawn from the insides of both science and religion. The universe in evolution, studied in great detail in his scientific work, stimulated his zest for being. His Christian faith made him see the universal presence of Christ in all things.


Teilhard loved the Earth and its peoples. He loved his church and his order. And he was filled with the fire of love for the ever-great Christ. For him, the symbol of fire meant the warmth and radiance of love and light, the energy to fuse and transform everything. But fire is, of course, ambivalent. I t can destroy as well as transform. In Teilhard's understanding, it is the transforming power of the energies of love which alone can create a truly human community and provide it with its strongest points. Thus, the fire of love may be the only energy capable of extinguishing the threat of another fire, namely that of universal conflagration and destruction.


He considered the phenomenon of religion as central to human evolution, and the phenomenon of spirituality as the key element in religion. At the center of spirituality he perceived the phenomenon of mysticism, which he distinguished into different types. The core of mysticism, the most important and energizing type, was mysticism centered on love, a mysticism of action, which radiated outward and helped to transform and build up the spirit of the world.


Science, religion, and mysticism are always closely intertwined in Teilhard¹s thought, for his science is of central significance to a new mysticism of action and a new understanding of the world. This mysticism of action is the mysticism of unification, of bringing everything, all the diverse elements (the cosmic, human, and divine) together. It's a mysticism of transformation and of sanctification, where holiness is understood as wholeness.


Just a few days before his death, Teilhard wrote his last six pages, which are entitled "Research, Work, and Adoration." One might consider this text his last intellectual testament. In it, he speaks of the conflict between science and religion -- and its solution. He refers to the fire of a new faith in the human, to be combined with religious faith.


Teilhard endeavored to seek an ultimate coherence for our manyfold experiences and quests, and tried to convey a vision greater than what either traditional religion or science alone can offer us. From this perspective, religion and mysticism are part of the human search for union -- or communion -- with God via the evolutionary process of the growth and unification of the world. All human efforts, whether scientific or religious, whether action or contemplation, must finally lead to worship, adoration, and ultimately greater unity.


If mysticism, especially the mysticism of love, is the very heart of religion, it must provide us with the deepest springs of energy for both action and interaction with others. It cannot be a mere spirit duality, but must stand for spirit-in-and-through-matter mentality. Spiritual development and religious experience are best seen as closely interrelated with and inseparable from our human experience in general. F. C. Happold has remarked that for Teilhard, human activity in all its forms was capable of divinization. And therefore he described Teilhard's mysticism "as a mysticism of action, action springing from the inspiration of a universe seen as moved and com-penetrated by God in the totality of its evolution...this is a new type of mysticism, the result of a profound, lifelong reconciling meditation on religious and scientific truth, and it is thus of immense relevance and significance for a scientific age such as ours." (Mysticism. Pelican Books, London, 1978, p. 395.)"

(https://earthlight.org/essay39_king.html)

More information

  • This book by a fellow Jesuit and long-time friend who had access to private and unpublished papers is considered one of the best explanations of Teilhard's religious views: . Henri de Lubac. The religion of Teilhard de Chardin, trans. Rene Hague, (New York: Desclee Co., 1967).
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