F R E D E R I C F. F L A C H

The Phenomenon of

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

IT IS DIFFICULT tO know precisely where to begin a commentary and ap- praisal of the contributions of so unusual and imaginative a thinker as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In his Le Pb~nom~ne Humain, published in i955,* the year of his death, this Jesuit scientist-philosopher produced a work of remarkable proportions, thereby evoking a storm of criticism and a deluge of praise from the worlds of theology and of science. Con- sidering the complexity of his concepts and his free use of neologisms, we find it of more than passing interest to observe the profound influence of this manuscript. To some degree, the international response gained momentum from the controversy within the Roman Catholic Church regarding the author's thesis. Presumably he was not permitted to pub- lish this work in his lifetime, because of the seeming unorthodoxy of his philosophical ideas. In the United States, at least, such official reservation is nearly always enough to guarantee widespread, best-selling status to any film or book. However, this is not enough to explain the response. The style in which the English translation reads is beguiling, suspense- ful, almost poetic. Yet, this too is insufficient reason. The chief factor must lie in the content of the author's concepts as well as in the need and receptiveness of the audience to whom these ideas were presented.

The main thread of Teilhard de Chardin's thesis is a peculiar blend- hag of the scientific and the mystical. In essence, he hypothesizes a direc- tion and purpose in the process of evolution. The path leads from geo- genesis to biogenesis to psychogenesis, from the creation of earth to the initiation of life, thence to the emergence of man, and finally to the pro- gressive development of mind. To describe the evolution of thought he

* An English translation by Bernard Wall was published as The Phenomenon of Man by Harper & Brothers in I959.

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coins the term n/5ogenesis. Through a continuing enlargement of con- sciousness and an ever-growing psychosocial unity, he proposes, man- kind moves slowly, relentlessly, at times convulsively, toward an ulti- mate fulfillment of the spirit of earth at the "omega point," where the organoplanetary roots can eventually be abandoned in favor of a non- material existence. This would appear to be the equivalent of the theo- logical concept of union with God.

This formulation has been attacked on both scientific and theological grounds. The author's colleagues in the special field of paleontol- ogy have criticized his argument by analogy and his lack of adequate ob- jective substantiation. Theologians have accused him of skimming over and obscuring certain traditional concepts regarding man's origins and failing to take sufficient notice of other sources of truth. While these ob- servations may be quite valid, they seem to distract from the main body of his theme rather than to respond to and evaluate his concepts in a con- structive fashion. As in the field of theoretical physics, and perhaps even more dramatically in the area of human psychology, the intuitive and speculative insight of the originator of thought is an essential element in the creation of new hypotheses that may then be investigated for clarifi- cation or validation. It is, therefore, more important to consider the stim- ulation of Teilhard de Chardin's thesis than to become preoccupied with its accuracy. It is, among other things, a reminder that, even in the realm of understanding man's relationship to God, all the information may not yet be in.

More to the point, what does Teilhard de Chardin have to say of rel- evance to those professionally interested in human motivation and be- havior? For centuries, the concept of man remained relatively constant. At one time or another, one or another aspect of human nature was em- phasized, but the total image remained intact. Considering the develop- ment of man against the background of purposeful evolutionary waves, one is forced to recognize the importance of kinetics. If the physiologist wishes to know the amounts of certain minerals in the central nervous system of animals, he can learn what they are by making a chemical anal- ysis of the dissected brain tissues. Such information, however, tells him little of the complex, active biological reactions involved in the distribu- tion and utilization of these minerals. To obtain a more kinetic view, he may administer isotopes. By means of radioactive labels, he can trace the pathway of the administered material throughout the animal's body, and

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then, by the use of special instruments, explore the intracellular activities of the nervous system. In similar fashion, studies of human behavior might be enriched by a concept of meaningful evolution.

Human nature is not static; it is continually undergoing important changes and modifications. Such alterations may take place at so tardy a pace as to escape ordinary detection, even in the light of history. The air- plane, electric light, and gasoline engine have so revolutionized the uni- verse that a visitor from a mere hundred years ago would be startled by the extensive results of these innovations. What is true in the physical realm is equally valid in the psychological. The world can never again be the same, because Freud, Jung, and many others have looked at human beings from a different vantage point. Some may yearn for the long ago, when man appeared to be the omnipotent master of his own destiny, a rationalization to counter earlier feelings of subjugation to the wills of whimsical gods moving men about like pawns on a chess board. How- ever, neither of these extreme positions is acceptable now, except through the employment of massive denial. At the very moment of rec- ognition, the impact of discovery produces its own changes. It is far too early to estimate the full impact of the theory and exploration of the un- conscious on human beings, individually or collectively. Freud, in his at- tempt to understand and explain adult motivation, used the evolutionary frame of reference. Thereby he came upon the significance of viewing a man's life in its totality, spreading it out, so to speak, in front of one's eyes, looking at it as a continuum. The child was the father of the man. Adult motivations were found to take root significantly in the uncon- scious, attached in a timeless way to rudiments of childhood experience and reactions. Resolution of unconscious conflicts allowed for a greater degree of personal freedom and awareness. Where id is, wrote Freud, there ego shall be. The main direction of evolution, writes Teilhard de Chardin, is the progressive enlargement of thought and consciousness. Is it not exactly at this point, if only for an instant, that his concepts and those of psychoanalysis move in harmony? Behavioral science itself may well have appeared on the evolutionary stage at this moment in time as a necessary catalyst in propelling humanky toward the goals Teilhard de Chardin envisions.

In his formulation, Teilhard de Chardin emphasizes the importance of personality turning in upon itself, assuming more and more significance, interacting meaningfully with other personalities as the world turns in

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upon itself. This heightening of contact and awareness feeds the growth of the social unity, itself more than the sum of its parts. Consider the enor- mous impact of any single new method of communication, such as radio or television. The rapidity with which new ideas can be transmitted de- fies the imagination, and undoubtedly such techniques are even now in the most rudimentary stages of development. It is the rate of change that is most staggering and that contributes strongly to existential anxiety. In all growth, there is pain and agony. The pattern is clear in the life of any human being. The stretching of bone and muscle that accompanies the child's progression upward creates physical distress and psychologic anguish. Suddenly the towering parent is reduced to human size. Torn between the dependency of childhood and the alluring appeal of adult freedom and action, the adolescent weeps silently in the night. Still, it is never possible to stop the movement. And so, as the person moves, the world moves. Consciousness and introspection develop as youth fades. Faster and faster the process goes on. To call the period in which we currently live a crisis in evolution, as Teilhard de Chardin does, may be but a gesture toward truth, but at least it offers meaning, explanation, and hope.

His concept of crisis may provide partial sustenance to the many who hunger after meaning. The fact that traditional religions offer meaning should not deter man from searching, within science and through spec- nlation, for more tangible evidence of meaning. Herein lies part of Teil- hard de Chardin's immense appeal. He writes of these things at a time when there are loose in the world grave doubts about the importance of anything, even life itself. In two generations there have been two devas- tating wars, and at the risk of sounding trite, we note that humanity now has the tools for its own destruction. In the light of history alone, hu- manity appears to be doomed. If one adheres to the precept that human nature has not changed and cannot, one must conclude that all of its fol- lies will only be repeated, on a grand and terrible scale, and perhaps for the last time. In such an event, we shall have come exactly nowhere; we are nowhere. The concept of a crisis in purposeful evolution casts some light into this darkness. Where there seemed to be nothing, there is some- thing. We are somewhere and humanity is going somewhere. The con- temporary quakes that break the surface of earth are not without sig- nificance, not a punishment for past evils or the death pangs of a hopeless race, but rather the cries of agony of evolution in crisis. Nothing can

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come of philosophy that stagnates, insisting that what has always been always shall be. Something can come of a philosophy that allows for movement forward.

The brain and the central nervous system have been essential con- comitants to the development of thought and personality. In man, this biological structure reaches what is currently its ultimate in form and function. The attraction to a literal interpretation of matter, endorsed by many scientists and nonscientists, certainly has its appeal. If something cannot be demonstrated, measured, and repeated reliably, it cannot be said to exist. For those who worship the synapse and the variations in the permeability of cell membranes, the mystical side of Teilhard de Char- din must indeed seem puzzling and unreal. His concepts clearly imply mind greater than matter. The mere fact that it does not lend itself to the ordinary rigors of experimental methods does not in any way compro- mise its reality. Without the more-than-matter factor, the brain and its intricate networks and pathways become little more than a mass of chemically active tissue, lacking purpose or meaning. Direction is given to matter only by acceptance of reality transcending the measurable.

For those already immersed in a spiritual position, Teilhard de Char- din is a reminder that the search for truth can often be effectively fos- tered through the exploration of matter. Even as he offers a frame of reference for the physical scientist, he calls the religionist's attention to the fact that the study of mankind must include the study of man.

And the study of man should be objective, experimental, systematic. The static views of human nature can give way to more dynamic points of view. For instance, the precepts of Christianity, centering around the love of God and fellow-men, have been taught for thousands of years and remain no less valid because of their failure to win acceptance by human beings on an extensive scale. The scientific study of human na- ture may yield information and methods that will allow implementation of such precepts. It is now apparent that the neurotic process, which is nearly universal in its epidemiology, prohibits genuine love and leads to a drying up of the spiritual life of man. It is possible, at present, to give drugs that will replace resentment, suspiciousness, and remoteness with warmth and composure, and so certain types of hostility may prove to have their roots in physiologic disturbances. Drugs can convert a chronic mood of pessimism, self-doubt, and discouragement into an attitude of constructive self-confidence and outgoing social interaction. With rood-

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ern methods of communication, the liberation of feeling and freedom that takes place, bit by bit, on the analyst's couch may be quietly extend- hag to the multitudes, producing irrevocable advances in human func- tion. The traditional ideas, therefore, require continuing re-evaluation in the light of new data, which, in turn, engender their own effects on the milieu of humanity.

The implication of a direction to the process of evolution itself cre- ates a very special ethical consideration. The individual, being human, is caught in the midst of this process. He can participate in many ways. He has an obligation to live, to be. He should study and improve his intro- spection and his interaction with other human beings and their collective enhancement of thought and awareness. Such a general directive im- mediately lends itself to a reduction to the particular. It would seem, for instance, that those who direct, control, plan, and produce the content carried by the remarkable new media of public communication have a vital responsibility to foster, and not impede, the promulgation of truth and of those messages that will enhance the forward movement of which Teilhard de Chardin speaks.

It is safe to assume that Teilhard de Chardin, a Christian and a mem- ber of a religious order, was not without bias in his interpretation and analysis of scientific events. So it is with all of us. Nonetheless, his thesis stands as a vital perception of occurrences, demanding objectivity from those who may be as anti-theistic as he was devout in his faith, and en- couraging theologians and philosophers to acquire a more dynamic, ki- netic approach to the study of man's relationship to man and God.

In any event, because of his appearance at a particular point in the continuum of time, nothing will ever be quite the same again.

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