Evolution: The Theory of Teilhard de Chardin

by Bernard Delfgaauw, Bernard Towers (Introduction)

The Theory of Teilhard de Chardin. This volume contains the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin concerning evolution. Religion/philosophy.

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernard Delfgaauw’s Evolution: The Theory of Teilhard de Chardin examines the evolutionary vision of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest and anthropologist who died on April 10, 1955, about 70 years before my reading, after which his suppressed speculative works went into print. Teilhard’s “hyper-physics,” a cosmic phenomenology, views the universe from a human perspective, blending experimental science and philosophy to frame evolution as a holistic process encompassing all reality. Delfgaauw distills Teilhard’s ideas into four basic and eight fundamental propositions.

The four basic propositions are:
(1) continuous evolution in stages,
(2) all matter is potentially conscious,
(3) dual energies (tangential and radial) drive development, and
(4) complexity parallels consciousness (mind as interiorized information).

The eight fundamental propositions expand this:
(1) hyper-physics as a new methodology between physics and philosophy,
(2) evolution embraces all reality,
(3) evolution has discontinuous stages (punctuated), (4) it’s progressive, increasing complexity and consciousness-freedom,
(5) it’s linear, not cyclical or degenerative,
(6) it enhances human freedom,
(7) it unites the world while preserving personality, and (8) Christian faith endorses it, aligning ethical striving with evolution, not existential dread.

Delfgaauw then contrasts Teilhard’s theory with Marxism, agreeing on progress (e.g., agriculture to industry) but rejecting material primacy, class dominance, and a fixed “end of history.” Instead, he offers a self-driven “auto-evolution” toward spiritual progress, favoring peace over justice and universal human dignity over class ascendancy.

In the longest chapter “Evolution as Progress,” Delfgaauw traces Teilhard’s universal evolution from proto-psychic abiogenesis to rising complexity and consciousness, evident in brain development and nervous system integration. Evolution progresses from generalists to specialists—plants and animals (organification), arthropods and vertebrates (cephalization), primates and hominids (cerebration), hominids to humans (socialization)—supported by Dubois’ law of cephalization. The “law of missing peduncles” explains absent evolutionary origins due to small founding populations and bottlenecks, with species appearing fully formed in fossils. Humanity’s hallmarks—fire and tool-making—lead to an 8,000-year-old socialization explosion, accelerating post-1850s into “super-socialization.” This compression, potentially via the internet and cybernetics, aims for a “universal person” in an “omega point” where the noosphere (collective consciousness) reunites with God (parousia-second coming of Christ).

Philosophically, Teilhard’s “cosmogenesis, biogenesis, anthropogenesis” assumes a unitary reality, linking science and philosophy. Evolution features leaps (e.g., molecule to organism, Australopithecine to human), but rejecting dualistic vitalism (e.g., Wöhler’s 1828 urea synthesis). Progress is temporal and moral, tying consciousness to suffering and freedom, contrasting mechanistic materialism with a proto-conscious view supporting self-determination.

Delfgaauw’s presentation of Teilhard’s theory is a bold synthesis of science, philosophy, and theology. The four basic propositions lay a provocative foundation: matter’s inherent consciousness and dual energies challenge strict materialism, while staged evolution and complexity-consciousness parallelism offer a dynamic view of mind and cosmos. The eight fundamental propositions elevate this into a sweeping narrative—hyper-physics (1) as a bridge between disciplines, totalizing reality (2) with punctuated leaps (3), driving progressive complexity-freedom (4, 6) in a linear arc (5) toward unity-with-personality (7), blessed by Christian ethics (8). This optimism sidesteps nihilism, reframing evolution as purposeful.

The rejection of Marxism’s determinism for a self-guided spiritual ascent is compelling, especially in its emphasis on universal dignity. However, assumptions like protopanpsychism (basic 2) or an evolutionary monism (fundamental 2) are more philosophical in nature, risking skepticism from scientists and clergy alike. The “law of missing peduncles” cleverly addresses missing links but feels speculative, as do leaps from biology to morality (fundamental 4) and the divine omega point (fundamental 7-8). Still, the vision of empathy and “super-socialization” resonates today, making Teilhard’s framework—flaws and all—a thought-provoking fusion of cosmology and humanism.

Upon reading Teilhard’s evolutionary cosmology gained currency with me by how closely it aligns with Ray Kurzweil’s six universal epochs in The Singularity is Near, based in exponential-acceleratinng as opposed to logarithmic-gradual change, and his approval of protopanpsychism in The Singularity is Nearer as the most cautious approach to artificial intelligence, assuming that if something acts as if it is conscious it ought to be treated so as to avoid unnecessary suffering.