Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) was a Jesuit priest, an archaeologist, and a scholar. A Catholic for his entire life, he faced, at times, exile (first to China, then to New York) and punishment for disagreeing with the Catholic church on two central points: first, he believed in evolution, and second, he rejected the doctrine of original sin.

Teilhard is an uncommon figure in the field of debate surrounding the role of religion in science, and especially evolution, because he saw the two as eminently compatible. His ideas went beyond the toleration expressed in non-overlapping magisteria, or the idea that religion and science need not conflict: Teilhard's union went far deeper than that. Rather, he believed that religion and evolution were inextricably linked, such that Christianity did not make sense without evolution. He first propounded the "Omega Point" theory - that mankind evolves towards Godhood, abetted by Jesus Christ, making evolution a theological as well as physical transition in forms.

He was also instrumental in the discovery of Peking Man, a transitional form of humanity found in China during World War II.

[edit] References

  • Amir D. Aczel, The Jesuit and the Skull


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