Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre

(1881-1955)

   theologian, philosopher, paleontologist

   Known for his evolutionary interpretation of humanity and the universe, Pierre Teilard de Chardin was born in the château of Sarcenat, Orcines, Puy-de-Dôme. Entering the Jesuit order in 1899, he soon became interested in geology. After he wrote his thesis on prehistoric mammals (Les Mammifères de l'Écocene inférieur en France, 1922), he was appointed professor at the Institut catholique de Paris. Beginning at that time, he participated in a number of scientific expeditions to the Far East: the Gobi Desert (1928); excavations of deposits of prehistoric cultures at zhoukoudian, near Beijing (1926); an automobile trip organized by André citroën across central Asia to follow the Silk Road (1931-32); American expeditions to india (1935-36); and excavations of artifacts of Pithecanthropus in Java (1937-38). From this point on, the study of the stages of human development dominated the work of Teihard de Chardin, as he formulated his global vision, an optimistic evolutionism that sought to reconcile scientific theories with those of Catholicism. Cosmogenesis, biogenesis, and noogenesis are the basic stages in this thesis, which sees a progressive spiritualization of all matter and in which humankind is the key to God, who is the initial and final point (the alpha and the omega). Giving Christ a cosmic dimension, without denying grace or the supernatural, Teihard de Chardin can perhaps be construed as seeming to adopt an almost pantheistic position and, for this reason, the Holy Office sent a notice (1962) to those responsible for religious education to avoid or cautiously approach his writings. Teihard de Chardin's principal works include Le Phénomène humain (1955); L'Apparition de l'homme (1956); Le Milieu divin (1957); L'Avenir de l'homme (1959); and Lettres. He was named to the Academy of Sciences in 1950.