Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Phenomenon Of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Published in 1955, English translation of the original.
I quite like the theory of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 – 1955). He was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of both Piltdown Man and Peking Man. Teilhard views evolution as a process that leads to increasing complexity. From the cell to the thinking animal, a process of psychical concentration leads to greater consciousness. Teilhard describes humankind as evolution becoming conscious of itself. This conscious principle is actually centered in some future time and it is sucking history into itself.
His ideas came into conflict with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and his books were censured.
His works are very difficult to find anywhere so here is one of his rarest and best:
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Labels:
Philosophy,
Religion,
science,
Social