An important Christian philosopher contends that if human energy is channeled in the right direction, "upward and outward," spiritual energy as a motor force in the universe will outdistance technological advance. Index. Translated by Rene Hague. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book.

"A Helen and Kurt Wolff book." Translation of L'©♭nergie humaine.

Analysis of the long career of the concept of matter must take into account the shift from static to evolutionary interpretations of nature. Application of Aristotle's description of abstraction permits one to situate the concept of matter in the writings ofTeilhard de Chardin within that shift. His observations as a scientist showed him that matter has the property to self-organize, and that consciousness grows in systems of increasing complexity. Analysis of modern concepts of emergence and top-down causation indicate that Teilhard's (...) insight, founded on a concept of matter as spirit-matter and a law of complexity consciousness, is compatible with modern understanding of the evolutionnary process. /// O presente artigo considera que a análise da longa carreira percorrida pelo conceito de matéria deve tomar em consideração a passagem de uma interpretação estática para as interpretações evolutivas da natureza. No artigo, a aplicação da descrição aris-totélica da abstracção permite situar o conceito de matéria nos escritos de Pierre Teilhard de Chardin dentro desse contexto. As suas observações como cientista mostraram a Teilhard não só a capacidade que a matéria possui de se auto-organizar, mas também que a consciência se desenvolve em sistemas de crescente complexidade. Neste sentido, a análise dos conceitos modernos de emergência e de causalidade vertical são indicadores de que a intuição de Teilhard de Chardin, fundada num conceito de matéria entendido como espírito-matéria e uma lei de complexidade-consciência, é perfeitamente compatível com a compreensão moderna do processo evolutivo. (shrink)

The Future of Man is a magnificent introduction to the thoughts and writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, one of the few figures in the history of the Catholic Church to achieve renown as both a scientist and a theologian. Trained as a paleontologist and ordained as a Jesuit priest, Teilhard de Chardin devoted himself to establishing the intimate, interdependent connection between science—particularly the theory of evolution—and the basic tenets of the Christian faith. At the center of his philosophy was (...) the belief that the human species is evolving spiritually, progressing from a simple faith to higher and higher forms of consciousness, including a consciousness of God, and culminating in the ultimate understanding of humankind’s place and purpose in the universe. The Church, which would not condone his philosophical writings, refused to allow their publication during his lifetime. Written over a period of thirty years and presented here in chronological order, the essays cover the wide-ranging interests and inquiries that engaged Teilhard de Chardin throughout his life: intellectual and social evolution; the coming of ultra-humanity; the integral place of faith in God in the advancement of science; and the impact of scientific discoveries on traditional religious dogma. Less formal than The Phenomenon of Man and The Divine Milieu , Teilhard de Chardin’s most renowned works, The Future of Man offers a complete, fully accessible look at the genesis of ideas that continue to reverberate in both the scientific and the religious communities. (shrink)

These essays derive from Teilhard's concern to reveal the true meaning of our age and to stimulate the "sense of man and sense of the Christian." The controversial essay "The Evolution of Chastity" was published here in its entirety for the first time. Foreword by N. M. Wildiers; Index. Translated by René Hague. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book.

Information theory and statistical mechanics.