The Heart of the Matter by Teilhard de Chardin Pierre (1979-01-01) Hardcover

by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

The final volume of Teilhard's collected essays, containing two texts of key importance published for the first "The Heart of Matter" and "The Christic." Foreword by N. M. Wildiers; Index. Translated by René Hague. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Religion, Spirituality, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French Jesuit priest, paleontologist, philosopher, mystic, and teacher whose life bridged science and spirituality in a unique synthesis that continues to inspire and provoke debate. Born into an intellectually and culturally rich family, with a father passionate about natural science and a mother whose lineage traced back to Voltaire, he was the fourth of eleven children and demonstrated early curiosity for geology, biology, and the natural world. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1899, studied literature and theology, and combined his religious vocation with an insatiable scientific drive, ultimately earning degrees in geology, zoology, and botany from the University of Paris. His early academic career included teaching physics and chemistry in Cairo and developing a strong foundation in paleontology, which later led him to China, where he collaborated with Émile Licent and others in geological surveys and excavations, most notably participating in the discovery of the Peking Man fossils at Zhoukoudian, which became a cornerstone of his reputation. Throughout his scientific work, Teilhard maintained a commitment to integrating evolutionary theory with Christian thought, producing essays and books that articulated a vision of the cosmos as a process of increasing complexity and consciousness, culminating in what he termed the Omega Point, a future unification of humanity and divinity. He served as a stretcher-bearer during World War I, receiving the Médaille militaire and the Legion of Honor, experiences that deepened both his spiritual reflections and his appreciation for human resilience. Despite repeated censorship and opposition from the Catholic Church, including prohibitions against publishing certain works and teaching assignments, he persisted in writing, producing influential works such as The Phenomenon of Man and The Divine Milieu, which attempted to reconcile scientific understanding, evolution, and the unfolding of divine purpose, offering a cosmic theology in which Christ is the unifying principle guiding the development of matter, life, and consciousness. His ideas on the noosphere, human evolution, and spiritual convergence provoked both admiration and criticism, drawing praise from thinkers such as Julian Huxley and Theodosius Dobzhansky for his visionary approach, while others, including Peter Medawar and Richard Dawkins, challenged the scientific rigor of his philosophical synthesis. Teilhard traveled extensively, conducting research across China, Central Asia, India, and Java, collaborating with leading paleontologists and geologists, and contributing to the broader understanding of human prehistory, archaeology, and geology. His writings emphasized the interdependence of material and spiritual evolution, positing that human consciousness and social cooperation are critical for continued development, and that evolution is inherently teleological, moving toward greater unity and complexity. Though controversies surrounding his work persisted during and after his lifetime, including debates over his involvement in the Piltdown Man discovery, thorough historical review and correspondence have largely vindicated him, demonstrating his integrity as a scientist and a thinker. Teilhard de Chardin’s legacy is that of a bridge between disciplines, a thinker whose vision of a spiritually and scientifically coherent universe continues to inspire theologians, scientists, and readers seeking to understand the interplay of faith, reason, and the unfolding story of humanity. He died in New York City in 1955, leaving behind a body of work that remains widely read and influential, reflecting a life devoted to exploring the convergence of human, cosmic, and divine evolution in a single, unified vision.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to tackle this book since reading The Jesuit and the Skull. A worthy book. Brilliant and poetic. 4 stars only because the first part, The Heart of Matter, was dense (but fascinating). I didn’t completely understand it, but it was a start. Teilhard’s Hymn to Matter and The Mass on the World are beautiful!

[Aran Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Introduction to an Abstruse System

The Heart of Matter is mostly Father De Chardin’s autobiographical writings on the origins of his spiritual/philosophic system. Notoriously difficult to understand, with its neologisms and abstract concepts, these reflections on his intellectual genesis are actually a good starting point for the neophyte to De Chardin’s thought.

Succinctly, De Chardin saw the cosmos evolving towards a consummation point in Christ. Thus, from the origins of the solar system, to the origin of life, to the origin of consciousness in human reflection the cosmos is moving directionally towards what Christians have historically called the consummation of all things in Christ.

He sought to unite this vision with a spirituality that saw God in the world and turned the Christian’s focus away from the traditional denigration of the body. He wanted to unite the ascetic tradition in Christianity with a love of matter, a vision of a scientifically understood universe with the revelation of the New Testament, all giving birth to a renewed and transformed version of Christianity.

How accurate was Teilhard’s vision? That’s best left to the judgment of each reader. Suffice it to say that despite respect for the immense creativity and ambition that Teilhard displays, I find it difficult to perceive in the cosmos an evolution towards a consummation in the man who was crucified under Pontius Pilate some two thousand years ago. But I do recommend this work as a good introduction to the thought and person of one of the most original minds of the twentieth century.

[Bill Pritchard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished "The Heart of the Matter" by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Perhaps it was my state of mind while working my way through this collection of works, or perhaps I am not ready for the material, but I found it a very challenging read. The material is challenging - This scientist spent much of his life struggling to connect the very separate but obviously connected roads of Science and Religion. And at least for me - this work did not connect the two. But like many works of Philosophy, so much of the effectiveness is the time in one's life one finds a work and their place in it. So perhaps it is not my time nor place..... Oh well... The best parts for me were the letters he wrote to friends to celebrate wedding events. These personal letters do more to expose the heart of de Chardin than his more scholarly works. Enjoy your summer.

[Tyrone_Slothrop (ex-MB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

quando il pensiero non ha paura

un libro non facilissimo, da affrontare con calma e tempo: magari in vacanza d'estate in qualche valle alpina per entrare nello spirito dell'autore... grande ammirazione per il coraggio di un uomo di chiesa (finchè glielo hanno permesso) ad avventurarsi su sentieri del pensiero che portano molto lontano. Per chi non ama le idee scritte sulla pietra e non ha paura di mettere in discussione i propri (pre-)giudizi

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es tan complicado como dicen algunos. No es sencillo tampoco. Habla de cosas sencillas pero de forma complicada.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Teilhard

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most extraordinary writing I’ve ever read with some of the most pregnant ideas that have the power to alter the way we perceive reality.

[Philip Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal journey of the author thinking.

[Patrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this book. My Pappa used to occasionally refer to de Chardin's ideas when we all were in our teen years.

Fundamental paradigm traits, Include William James and Radical Pragmatism, Also Developmental changes in cognitive neural structures and functions in frequently Behavioristic sociological science frames, e.g. advertising & propaganda. De Chardin is at least a couple of different types of scientists, doing generative work, phenomenological neurophysiology, e.g. William James also begins with thorough-going neurophysiology, diverse physically organic levels of networking similar:different experiential, individual and aggregate, stimuli:response(s) relationships:communication; one of the top five books, without which I/you would not be the person I/you are. & The Reality of the Noosphere. Also review Marshall MacLuhan, W. Edwards Deming, Paolo Freire, Include: Behavioristic Psychology + stochastic Terrorism.

note: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's The Heart of Matter > Hymn to Matter

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind expanding. Difficult, but interesting

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest minds of the 20th Century. A formative book for
me @ age 16.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense and very Catholic. Beneath all that is quite a compelling proposal on the teleology of the universe and our place in it.