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The Phenomenon of Man
Visionary theologian and evolutionary theorist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin applied his whole life, his tremendous intellect, and his great spiritual faith to building a philosophy that would reconcile religion with the scientific theory of evolution. 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.
- GenresPhilosophyChristianity
462 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2023
24 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
397 books502 followersPierre Teilhard de Chardin was a visionary French Jesuit, paleontologist, biologist, and philosopher, who spent the bulk of his life trying to integrate religious experience with natural science, most specifically Christian theology with theories of evolution. In this endeavor he became enthralled with the possibilities for humankind, which he saw as heading for an exciting convergence of systems, an "Omega point" where the coalescence of consciousness will lead us to a new state of peace and planetary unity. Long before ecology was fashionable, he saw this unity as being based intrinsically upon the spirit of the Earth. Studied in England. Traveled to numerous countries, including China, as missionary.
Died in New York City on Easter 1955
Died in New York City on Easter 1955
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 20, 2025
Chardin was a Jesuit priest and geologist who specialized in the physical anthropology of human evolution. He wrote his manuscript over several years in the 1930s in the boondocks of China while helping with the study of Peking Man among other projects.
Returning to France, he gave one lecture about his new ideas and was ordered by the church to never talk publicly on this topic again. The church also refused to permit him to publish his work, so the book did not appear until after his death. He had some supporters in the scientific community, e.g. the introduction is written by Sir Julian Huxley, but a great many reviews appeared basically saying he was off his nut. Toward the end of the book Chardin himself says:
“Among those who have attempted to read this book to the end, many will close it, dissatisfied and thoughtful, wondering whether I have been leading them through facts, through metaphysics or through dreams.” (p. 289)
I’ll say... I admire his bold attempt at synthesis, but…
The book sets out how cosmology, including the creation of planet earth, the subsequent appearance and development of life, then of consciousness, can all be viewed in an evolutionary framework. He talks about the planet earth as developing in three spheres. The first is the lithosphere (its rocky base), followed by the biosphere (a layer of life), and, ultimately, the noosphere, a newly developing layer of consciousness that envelopes the earth. In future, Chardin tells us, the noosphere will condense and coalesce into one object, a somewhat Christ-like thing he calls the Omega Point, and that will be the end of evolution and life as we know it on earth. He briefly opines that, should parallel evolution occur in the universe, perhaps our Omega Point will commune telepathically with other Omega Points throughout the void.
He also states that, aside from physical energetic sources, there are two other driving forces of evolution: psychic energy and the power of love. These he believes these to have been omnipresent from the time of the Big Bang, so that even the first hydrogen atom was supplied with these forces, though in miniscule quantities and in an undeveloped form that grew over time, reaching their pinnacle in humanity.
His writing style is flowery and obscure, and he has too great a love for neologisms. He also believed it was commonly acknowledged that global cultural development attained its apogee in modern Europe, and that among the world’s religions, Christianity is the best match for the evolution of psychic energy as it has occurred. In other words, the Übermensch, the epitome of cosmic evolution would be, well, Père Chardin.
Returning to France, he gave one lecture about his new ideas and was ordered by the church to never talk publicly on this topic again. The church also refused to permit him to publish his work, so the book did not appear until after his death. He had some supporters in the scientific community, e.g. the introduction is written by Sir Julian Huxley, but a great many reviews appeared basically saying he was off his nut. Toward the end of the book Chardin himself says:
“Among those who have attempted to read this book to the end, many will close it, dissatisfied and thoughtful, wondering whether I have been leading them through facts, through metaphysics or through dreams.” (p. 289)
I’ll say... I admire his bold attempt at synthesis, but…
The book sets out how cosmology, including the creation of planet earth, the subsequent appearance and development of life, then of consciousness, can all be viewed in an evolutionary framework. He talks about the planet earth as developing in three spheres. The first is the lithosphere (its rocky base), followed by the biosphere (a layer of life), and, ultimately, the noosphere, a newly developing layer of consciousness that envelopes the earth. In future, Chardin tells us, the noosphere will condense and coalesce into one object, a somewhat Christ-like thing he calls the Omega Point, and that will be the end of evolution and life as we know it on earth. He briefly opines that, should parallel evolution occur in the universe, perhaps our Omega Point will commune telepathically with other Omega Points throughout the void.
He also states that, aside from physical energetic sources, there are two other driving forces of evolution: psychic energy and the power of love. These he believes these to have been omnipresent from the time of the Big Bang, so that even the first hydrogen atom was supplied with these forces, though in miniscule quantities and in an undeveloped form that grew over time, reaching their pinnacle in humanity.
His writing style is flowery and obscure, and he has too great a love for neologisms. He also believed it was commonly acknowledged that global cultural development attained its apogee in modern Europe, and that among the world’s religions, Christianity is the best match for the evolution of psychic energy as it has occurred. In other words, the Übermensch, the epitome of cosmic evolution would be, well, Père Chardin.
May 28, 2023
The Phenomenon of Man from Chardin is pregnant with fertile ideas. They are the same ideas he hints at and alludes to in all the other works of his I’ve read, but here it is laid out in a detailed, systematic manner.
The essential premise is man is the capstone of creation (at least to date) due to the reflective nature of the human mind: the mind sees itself. These unlikely events of 1) life, 2) self reflection point to a remarkable arrow of purpose in the universe. Even the chemical universe point in the same direction. The universe as a whole is converging the Omega Point-the point when all will be united in God. The energy that drives this unification does not obliterate the personal but actually accentuates the personal and the personality. The only energy with that power is Love, or specifically Christian love.
The book has so much more, but this is the elevator pitch for the book.
He approaches the whole enterprise from the perspective of science. In the process he coins a handful of words as well as sprinkling in some technical science terms as well as a dash of unique philosophical terms. A big part or reading Chardin is ‘coming to terms’ with him, that is, trying to figure out what he means by the words he uses.
He paints an optimistic view of the future that is hard to resist. I wish it were in a more relatable, understandable and modern perspective. It was written over 80 years ago, but still bursts with vitality.
5+ stars for original ideas, loss of star for clarity of writing and organization.
The essential premise is man is the capstone of creation (at least to date) due to the reflective nature of the human mind: the mind sees itself. These unlikely events of 1) life, 2) self reflection point to a remarkable arrow of purpose in the universe. Even the chemical universe point in the same direction. The universe as a whole is converging the Omega Point-the point when all will be united in God. The energy that drives this unification does not obliterate the personal but actually accentuates the personal and the personality. The only energy with that power is Love, or specifically Christian love.
The book has so much more, but this is the elevator pitch for the book.
He approaches the whole enterprise from the perspective of science. In the process he coins a handful of words as well as sprinkling in some technical science terms as well as a dash of unique philosophical terms. A big part or reading Chardin is ‘coming to terms’ with him, that is, trying to figure out what he means by the words he uses.
He paints an optimistic view of the future that is hard to resist. I wish it were in a more relatable, understandable and modern perspective. It was written over 80 years ago, but still bursts with vitality.
5+ stars for original ideas, loss of star for clarity of writing and organization.
July 8, 2025
A curator of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, Teilhard de Chardin was also a priest by training, the reason he wanted to reconcile science with religion, although his approach to life seems more scientific than religion. For example, his insight that living organism originated from inorganic matters recalls the Stanford experiment of combining inorganic molecules into an organic one using electric flashes in a test tube, which put forward the theory that lightning flashes combined inorganic matters into the first living cell within the Great Soup prevalent in the early stages of Earth.
His three chapters "The within of Things", "The Rise of conscience", and "The Confluence of Thoughts" complement Darwin's evolutionary theory. Darwin, also a priest by training, leaned more toward science than religion to explain evolution of life on Earth.
His three chapters "The within of Things", "The Rise of conscience", and "The Confluence of Thoughts" complement Darwin's evolutionary theory. Darwin, also a priest by training, leaned more toward science than religion to explain evolution of life on Earth.
December 17, 2024
Wild!
A friend suggested I needed 2 whiskies before I tried reading it and that was a conservative estimate.
A mix of 'science', theology and philosophy which sees the history of the cosmos and humanity as an upward tilting progessive ascent heading towards the 'omega point' where we reach our zenith. This has inspired transhumanists and posthumanists to claim him as their own. de Chardin sees the 'noogenesis' as the evolution of human consciousness creating a 'noosphere' across the earth.
Massively optimistic regarding the future but utterly bonkers!
A friend suggested I needed 2 whiskies before I tried reading it and that was a conservative estimate.
A mix of 'science', theology and philosophy which sees the history of the cosmos and humanity as an upward tilting progessive ascent heading towards the 'omega point' where we reach our zenith. This has inspired transhumanists and posthumanists to claim him as their own. de Chardin sees the 'noogenesis' as the evolution of human consciousness creating a 'noosphere' across the earth.
Massively optimistic regarding the future but utterly bonkers!
October 26, 2025
No entiendo por qué ha sido negado por la iglesia cuando es bastante espiritual lo que cuenta.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews