Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: Writings Selected with an Introduction

Modern Spiritual Masters

by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Ursula King (Introduction)

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was a French Jesuit theologian and scientist renowned for his pioneering field work in paleontology. His visionary writings on the reconciliation of faith and evolutionary theory aroused the suspicions of the Vatican and he was forbidden to publish on religious matters during his lifetime. After his death, the publication of his many books marked him as one of the most influential Catholic thinkers of this century - a mystic whose holistic vision speaks with growing relevance to contemporary spirituality. Often considered ahead of his time, Teilhard's writings have more relevance and impact on our current times than when he was first published. "Splendid . . . Invaluable . . . One of a kind."--Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale University

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

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

[hoffnarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a good job of selecting some essays that bring out the major themes of Teilhard's mysticism. This is useful for someone who wants to get a grip on his ideas since his works can get extremely repetitive while not always staying consistent in vocabulary and explanation of the central ideas. With some short introductory comments in each section, I felt like this was a good way to get the general overview of the main ideas.

[Pam Cipkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had come across the name of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin many times in the past few years, and have felt an affinity toward his quotes and writings. So I thought it was time to learn a little more about this French Jesuit theologian and scientist. This slim little volume was just the right introduction.

Teilhard, born in 1881, was a paleontologist who readily embraced evolutionary theory. Being also a Jesuit priest, this got him into plenty of trouble with the Vatican. The Vatican forbade him to publish many of his views during his lifetime, but after his death in 1955, he became acclaimed as one of the most forward and influential Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century.

Teilhard saw unity of all things in Christ. He had a unifying worldview that brought together elements of science, philosophy, religion, and spirituality. Teilhard was considered quite ahead of his time, with groundbreaking views not only of the christic element of evolution but also of the role of women in the Church and Christianity.

I was grateful for Ursula King’s commentary, as Teilhard’s writing can be dense. But his views give me hope that future generations will embrace and maintain a contemporary unifying belief in a Supreme Being, a God “as vast and mysterious as the cosmos” and “immediate and all-embracing.”

[Dana Kraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read enough books that quote or refer to Teilhard de Chardin that I decided to read the source material. This is a good and digestible selection of his writings, and I say that because it gave me a sense of his thought and made me want to read more. Definitely a scientist. I loved when he described an idea as “Christianity squared”.

A few specific things that struck me:

- The word that kept popping into my head as I read this was “dynamic”.
- The incorporation of the emerging science of the 19th and 20th century into his thinking made a lot of sense to me and seems just as relevant in 2024 as it did 80 years ago.
- This seems like an extension of the thought process that I read in sermons by Meister Eckhart who talked about dying to self to become united to God. Chardin didn’t seem to reference that explicitly but his ideas try to bring together the self, the world and God in a different way that made more sense to me.
- I like that he talked about the need for positive effort to maintain a “zeal for life”. It doesn’t just happen.
- It helped me understand in a different way some of the more mystical phrases from Paul like “in Him and through Him”
- His references to the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus made me want to read more about that. Interesting that he mentioned that he was initially puzzled and even put off by the oddly anatomical part of the imagery used. I feel that way, too.
- I liked his discussion of “adoration”. I’ll quote him here, but it doesn’t do justice to the pages beforehand - “In other words: first, be. Secondly, love. Finally, worship.”

A few other quotes I liked:
- The man who finds his neighbor too heavy a burden must inevitably be weary already of bearing the burden of his own self.
- For all God's intermixture with my being through his almighty action, there still remained between him and me a hiatus, a void, an icy gap, representing the distance that separates necessary from participated being. I felt that I was not united to him but juxtaposed.
- The true summons of the cosmos is a call consciously to share in the great work that goes on within it; it is not by drifting down the current of things that we shall be united with their one, single, soul, but by fighting our way, with them, toward some goal still to come.
- Religion can become an opium. It is too often understood as a simple soothing of our woes. Its true function is to sustain and spur on the progress of life.

[Adam Gossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great intro

[Mike Jaques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teilhard challaged my thinking of the movement of alpha to the fulfillment of omega. " we know from what St. John and St. Paul tell us that Christ is the center of creation, the force that can subject all things to itself, the endpoint by which all things are informed." After some time has passed I will re-read this book.

[Brittany Wilmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was dense, but insightful. I appreciated the deeper dive into de Chardin's fiery beliefs and his hope for humanity and the planet.

[Pamela Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good selection of his writings and any book involving Ursula King's knowledge is worth reading.

[Edgar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lost me at “my name is Legion.”

At best, he’s trying to do apology through use of extended early-1900s science metaphor. There may be an audience for this that believes in eugenics, looks forward to post-humans, sees the current scientific academy as a step toward inevitable global psychic convergence. They might read Teilhard de Chardin, be converted, and do Catholicism. But the chances of this seem slim.

Given the vagueness/imprecision of his language, the arbitrariness of what he takes as givens, and the riskiness of his allusions, I’d expect TdC to encourage more accelerationists than monks. He actually uses the garden of Eden to explain why we should try every fruit on the tree 🤦🏽‍♂️. “The more dangerous the knowledge, the more powerful.” 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

TdC very well may have had visions where divine immanence became apparent. But having experiences does not mean one is adequated to those experiences; no matter how charitable we are, drug-induced trips (e.g.) do not compare to the maqamat of saints who have devoted their lives to ritual-buttressed introspection and contemplation. And even if one integrates mystical experience (so that one’s actions are fully consistent with one’s conceptions), this does not a strong theologian make. “Not every saint is a sage.”

All this to say, no reason to spend time with de Chardin. There are more careful 20th-century writers on divine immanence, humanity, apocatastasis, and how to productively pursue metaphysical understanding in positivist/scientistic times. Some of these writers seem to have lived according to their insights. Before Teilhard, I’d direct readers to Al-‘Alawi, Ramana Maharshi, Rene Guenon, or Seungsahn.

I think the Supreme Authority of the Holy Office got this one right…

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been steeped in devotees of Teilhard for the last decade (Ilia Delio, Cynthia Bourgeault, Beatrice Bruteau), I've already ingested the gist of his "divine milieu", the universe careening toward complexity and unity, and his earth-centered mysticism. But I've been intimidated by his source material--so dense! Ursula King has done a marvelous job here of excerpting his work and arranging it in a manageable way. This is a book I will meditate on, quote from, and live into.

The only true happiness is…the happiness of growth and movement.
If a human being is to be fully himself and fully living, he must, (1) be centered upon himself; (2) be “decentered” upon “the other”; (3) be super-centered upon a being greater than himself.

The day will come when, after harnessing the ether, the windes, the tides, gravitation, we shall harness for God the Energies of love. And, on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, human beings will have discovered fire.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of Teilhard's essays, books, and meditations. A sampler if you will, of his philosophies and prayers, taken from a broad cross-section of his writings. It starts with some autobiographical stuff, with his childhood fascination about solid objects as he always desired to find something unchangeable and incorruptible. Matter, and his time as a geologist, and his revelatory discovery and embracing of evolution. Teilhard was a mystic, a priest in the Jesuits, and a philosopher who thought deeply about God, the world, and humanity. This is a slow read, with many pauses and copious marginal notes and question marks as I am working hard to understand what he is saying. But it's opening up some ideas for me, in my struggle with faith of the past couple of years.

[Michael Baranowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that Jesuit scientist Pierre Teilhard De Chardin would be something of a dry, analytic theologian, but I was almost completely wrong. He's a sort of wild mystic who reminds me of what Spinoza might have been like had he micro-dosed LSD. I can't imagine reading big hunks of Teilhard De Chardin at one go, but as a collection of 2-3 page long entries, this book was a bracing experience.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been told that de Chardin is brilliant, but very hard to follow. I think it's just that you have to understand both mystical theology and philosophy of science and science in order for it to make sense. Meaning, I kind of got it, but found it beautiful.

[Andy Oram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a very useful introduction and summary. Although many parts were hard to read and a bit impenetrable, the major themes reappeared often enough to become comprehensible. Teilhard was a beautiful man.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Jim Willse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably not the best entry into the writings and thought of Teilhard de Chardin. The introduction is useless, and the selection of material seems haphazard. Probably best to find some decent articles about Teilhard, or even better, someone knowledgeable, using them as a guide to the best pieces.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was an enjoyable and enlightening experience, even though I do not agree with all of his views. Nevertheless, in this text, he professes his views with both love and lyricism. As such, I could not help following his thoughts through to the end. His vision of the world was majestic and infused throughout with poetry.

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtfully organized collection of Teilhard's most notable theological and spiritual writings. Ursula King's introductions are helpful flourishes helping the reader get situated in the unique world of this highly original visionary.