AN INTRODUCTION TO THE THOUGHT OF TEILHARD DE CHARDIN AS A CATALYST FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE (original) (raw)

Teilhard's Attempt: A Jesuit Paleontologist's Effort to Synthesize Religion and Evolution

This thesis centers around Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and his works, comparing and contrasting it with the Catholic teachings of the early 1900's as well modern scientific thought regarding evolution. Although Teilhard’s theory of evolution and creation may not suffice for either the religious or scientific communities, his spirit and willingness to attempt such a synthesis will hopefully inspire members of both communities to achieve a common point of dialogue in both fields’ search for truth.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a spirituality from the scientific view of the world

Teilhard de Chardin besides his scientific work in geology and paleontology, especially related to the fossil origins of man in China, developed a philosophical and theological thought rethinking Christian faith taking into account the evolutionary view of the world provided by science. His thought sprung from a deep spirituality and mystic experience. His spirituality was founded on the role of Christ in an evolving universe, as the creator and the center of the evolving process. Here I present the main lines of his spirituality. The role of science as Teilhard is aware that science is the main force that drives today human progress. The relation between matter and spirit, the convergence of the cosmic evolving process to what he has called the Omega Point, that is identified with the Christ of Christian faith. According to Teilhard, we can neither think of the universe without its center in Christ nor of Christ without being the center of the universe. This leads to the concepts of Cosmic or Universal Christ and the process of cosmogenesis becoming a Christgenesis. Thus the world becomes transparent to the present of Christ in what he calls the “Divine Milieu” and the “Christique”.

MAN AND EVOLUTIONARY MONISM IN THE CHRISTIAN- PHILOSOPHICO ANTHROPOLOGY OF TEILHARD DE CHARDIN

This work is going to center on the philosophical and anthropological thought of Teilhard De Chardin. This essay is going to concentrate on his life, philosophy and influence today. The first chapter deals with life, works and the aim of his philosophical career. The second chapter will elaborate on a simple scientific explanation of the origin of life and consciousness i.e. thought and the third will focus on Teilhard’s synthesis of the two realities (matter and spirit) in man. As a philosopher, Teilhard has been widely read especially among believing-scientists with a passion for the evolutionary theory of creation or of origins. His works remain a towering example of a complex and necessary synthesis of science and religious belief. He endeavored to convey an understanding of the whole of nature under energies that drive reality to a definite end. With regard to man, De Chardin holds that man holds the key to the future. Man, is the only being with the capacity for reflection or self-consciousness. Only man can harness and comprehend the ambiguities and complexities of evolution. De Chardin therefore places man a threshold ahead of others. But this is not in order to isolate him but that nature might be understood in the manner in which God, the Spirit behind the Cosmos intended . Irrespective of all that can be said about Teilhard, this essay will merely try to outline his exposition on the origin of life, the breakaway of man from matter through noogenesis , the eventual synthesis of matter and spirit and the implications that it has had on the Teilhardian understanding of Man.

Teilhard de Chardin and the dialogue between science and religion

We can find in Teilhard’s writings many points of interest for the dialogue between science and religion. I have selected three of them in his conception about science, matter and human evolution. The first is his high esteem for science and its role in human history. Science for him represents the line along which evolution progresses at human level and prepares man to find the hidden profound meaning of the mystery of reality. This conception of science may serve as a good starting point in the science-religion dialogue, since it recognize a potentiality in science to be interpreted in religious terms. The second is his understanding of matter which surpasses all matter-spirit dualism. Matter for him has an internal dynamism which leads it to the spirit, through the process of cosmic evolution. The third is his conception of human evolution as a part of cosmic evolution. By this the conscious dimension of man (noosphere), progress along the line of increasing unity to finally converge into an Omega Point, where it finds its ultimate fulfillment.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN CHARDIN'S EVOLUTIONARY SYNTHESIS (2017).docx

ABSTRACT The interaction between science and religion has been one of the most articulated issues by many scholars. This conversation has showcased interest in the origin of man precisely captured in the term “evolution.” The problem lies on the possibility of presenting an evolutionary theory that could bear both religious and scientific elements. Addressing this issue, the paleontologist, theologian and philosopher, Teilhard de Chardin presents his evolutionary synthesis. This work aims at presenting his idea which encapsulates an evolving man moving towards a transcendental force of attraction, which he calls the Omega point. It presents the scientific and religious elements embedded in this synthesis and its implication for some schools of thoughts like Marxism. The work projects a kind of metaphysics that really bears theological identity which presents all of the information to stand out as a working tool for understanding human existence.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN CHARDIN'S EVOLUTIONARY SYNTHESIS

Teilhard de Chardin's Legacy in Science and Theology

24th Annual Cosmos and Creation Conference, 2005

In a series of two lectures at the 24th Cosmos and Creation annual conference at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, Mark McMenamin showed that proper critique and criticism of Teilhard's legacy is essential for accurate assessment of Teilhard's contributions in both science (mostly positive) and theology (mostly disastrous).

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a mystique of the presence of Christ in an evolving universe

Association des Amis de Pierre Teilhrad de Chardin , 2024

Teilhard de Chardin must be considered primarily as a true modern mystic of the presence and action of Christ in the universe. His mysticism can be traced through his writings from the earliest to the latest and in them we can find the reflection of a mystical experience lived in prayer and in his life, at the basis of which is the vision of the universe that science has been developing first with the evolution of the whole universe and of life and man on Earth. Teilhard always considers himself at the same time a "child of the Earth" and a "child of Heaven". The basis of his mysticism is, therefore, in the synthesis of these two loves. He is aware of the role of science and technology in the modern world, as the two great forces that move human progress. Thus, for him, scientific work itself has a religious and Christian value and is itself a form of worship. By identifying the Omega Point of evolution with the Christ of faith, Christ occupies the "universal center" or "cosmic center" of the universe. Cosmogenesis becomes a "Christogenesis" and the redeeming Christ is a true "Evolutionary Christ". All evolution is, therefore, a process by which the body of the "Cosmic Christ" or "Total Christ" is being built. Finally, for Teilhard what he calls "the Christic"

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE THOUGHT OF TEILHARD DE CHARDIN AS A CATALYST FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE (original) (raw)

Related papers