Teilhard de Chardin’s Philosophy of the Human Person

Teilhard de Chardin’s understanding of the human person is deeply rooted in his vision of evolution. He sees humanity as the most advanced stage of the evolutionary process and believes that we are not just passive beings shaped by nature—we actively shape evolution itself.

Evolution and the Human Person

According to Teilhard, evolution has two major phases:

  1. Radial Energy (Spreading Out and Diversifying)
  2. Tangential Energy (Bringing Things Together and Moving Toward a Goal)

Teilhard believed that the first phase of evolution—radial energy—was leading toward the emergence of humans (hominisation). This means that all of evolution, from the Big Bang to the formation of life, was moving toward the development of human consciousness.

However, once humans arrived, evolution changed. Unlike animals, humans are aware of evolution and can direct it. This is why Teilhard famously said:

"Man is evolution become conscious of itself."

This means that humans are no longer just products of evolution—we are also co-creators of it. Our choices, actions, and technologies shape the next stages of evolution.

The Human Soul

Some people misunderstood Teilhard and thought he denied the existence of the soul. However, he was not rejecting spirituality. Instead, he had a different way of explaining it.

Most religious traditions say that humans have a soul that is separate from the body. But Teilhard believed that matter itself can evolve to become conscious and spiritual.

Teilhard believed that human consciousness is the natural result of evolution. When matter reaches a high enough level of complexity, it becomes aware, thinks, and even seeks the divine.

This means that Teilhard does not deny the soul—he just explains it differently. He believes that what we call the soul is actually the result of evolution reaching its highest point.

Life After Death

Teilhard was a deeply committed Christian and believed in life after death. However, he did not explain it in the traditional way.

In traditional theology (such as St. Thomas Aquinas’ view), the soul is separate from the body and lives on after death. Teilhard did not accept this dualistic view. Instead, he believed in a more unified vision of the human person.

For him, life after death is possible because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through Christ’s victory over death, humans can also be transformed and continue existing beyond physical death.

St. Paul described death as "sowing a seed in the earth" rather than simply "burying the body". Teilhard loved this idea and used it to explain resurrection:

  • A seed looks small and lifeless, but when planted, it grows into something much greater—a tree.
  • In the same way, our bodies "die" and are planted in the earth, but they are transformed into something much greater in the next life.

This means that our personal identity is not lost after death—there is a continuity between our current self and our future, resurrected self. But just as a tree is more than a seed, our new life will be at a higher, more glorious level.

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