The Phenomenon of Man

The Phenomenon of Man

by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
The Phenomenon of Man

The Phenomenon of Man

by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Paperback

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Overview

“A profound book of great distinction and originality. . . . A brilliant synthesis of the evidence with respect to man’s evolutionary direction. . . . I cannot imagine anyone reading this book who will not be profoundly influenced by it, and who will not wish to read it several times over, for it is a great work by a great man—one of the most spiritually erudite of our time.” —New York Times

Visionary theologian and evolutionary theorist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s analysis of human evolution

Pierre Teilhard De Chardin was one of the most distinguished thinkers and scientists of our time. He applied his whole life, his tremendous intellect, and his great spiritual faith to building a philosophy that would reconcile Christian theology with the scientific theory of evolution, to relate the facts of religious experience to those of natural science.

In this timeless book, which contains the quintessence of his thought, Teilhard argues that just as living organisms sprung from inorganic matter and evolved into ever more complex thinking beings, humans are evolving toward an "omega point"—defined by Teilhard as a convergence with the Divine.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780061632655
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 11/04/2008
Series: Harper Perennial Modern Thought
Pages: 320
Sales rank: 123,127
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was born in France and ordained a Jesuit priest. Trained as a paleontologist, Teilhard codiscovered the celebrated "Peking Man" fossils. The Phenomenon of Man is his best-known work.

Table of Contents

Introduction11
Preface29
Foreword: Seeing31
Book 1Before Life Came
Chapter IThe Stuff of the Universe39
1Elemental Matter40
APlurality40
BUnity41
CEnergy42
2Total Matter43
AThe System43
BThe Totum44
CThe Quantum45
3The Evolution of Matter46
AThe Appearance47
BThe Numerical Laws50
Chapter IIThe Within of Things53
1Existence54
2The Qualitative Laws of Growth58
AFirst Observation58
BSecond Observation59
CThird Observation60
3Spiritual Energy62
AThe Problem of the Two Energies63
BA Line of Solution64
Chapter IIIThe Earth in its Early Stages67
1The Without68
AThe Crystallising World68
BThe Polymerising World70
2The Within71
Book 2Life
Chapter IThe Advent of Life77
1The Transit to Life79
AMicro-organisms and Mega-molecules81
BA Forgotten Era83
CThe Cellular Revolution86
2The Initial Manifestations of Life90
AThe Milieu90
BSmallness and Number91
CThe Origin of Number92
DInter-relationship and Shape94
3The Season of Life96
Chapter IIThe Expansion of Life103
1The Elemental Movements of Life104
AReproduction104
BMultiplication104
CRenovation105
DConjugation106
EAssociation106
FControlled Additivity108
A Corollary: The Ways of Life109
2The Ramifications of the Living Mass112
AAggregates of Growth113
BThe Flourishing of Maturity116
CEffects of Distance119
3The Tree of Life122
AThe Main Lines122
BThe Dimensions133
CThe Evidence137
Chapter IIIDemeter141
1Ariadne's Thread142
2The Rise of Consciousness147
3The Approach of Time152
Book 3Thought
Chapter IThe Birth of Thought163
1The Threshold of Reflection164
AThe Threshold of the Element: the Hominisation of the Individual164
BThe Threshold of the Phylum: the Hominisation of the Species174
CThe Threshold of the Terrestrial Planet: The Noosphere180
2The Original Forms184
Chapter IIThe Deployment of the Noosphere191
1The Ramifying Phase of the Pre-Hominids191
2The Group of the Neanderthaloids197
3The Homo Sapiens Complex200
4The Neolithic Metamorphosis203
5The Prolongations of the Neolithic Age and the Rise of the West206
Chapter IIIThe Modern Earth213
1The Discovery of Evolution216
AThe Perception of Space-time216
BThe Envelopment in Duration219
CThe Illumination221
2The Problem of Action226
AModern Disquiet226
BThe Requirements of the Future229
CThe Dilemma and the Choice232
Book 4Survival
Chapter IThe Collective Issue237
1The Confluence of Thought239
AForced Coalescence239
BMega-Synthesis243
2The Spirit of the Earth245
AMankind245
BScience248
CUnanimity251
Chapter IIBeyond the Collective: the Hyper-Personal254
1The Convergence of the Person and the Omega Point257
AThe Personal Universe257
BThe Personalising Universe260
2Love as Energy264
3The Attributes of the Omega Point268
Chapter IIIThe Ultimate Earth273
1Prognostics to be Set Aside274
2The Approaches276
AThe Organisation of Research278
BThe Discovery of the Human Object280
CThe Conjunction of Science and Religion283
3The Ultimate285
Epilogue: The Christian Phenomenon291
1Axes of Belief292
2Existence-Value294
3Power of Growth296
Postscript: The Essence of the Phenomenon of Man300
1A World in Involution300
2The First Appearance of Man302
3The Social Phenomenon304
AppendixSome Remarks on the Place and Part of Evil in a World in Evolution311
Index315
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