Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Man's place in the natural order, 31 Dec 2003
By A Customer
Teilhard’s "The Phenomenon of Man" remains one of the seminal works of the 20th Century. Written 50 years ago it is still scientifically far ahead of most modern evolutionary science, discerning an underlying pattern in evolution, beyond Darwinism, which few seem to be able to grasp. In particular, Teilhard traces the significance of the phenomenon of human consciousness as part of the cosmic order, and thus the rise of human civilisation as an integral aspect of nature.It is curious that the perception of design and teleological order in nature should be such a challenge to science and to Christianity. Current evolutionary science generally resists any kind of shape to evolution beyond a certain level, while Christianity too often remains stuck in a dualism between Creator and the created order, and philosophy seems generally stuck in the area of Cartesian subjectivity. Even modern ecology can find no real place for humanity in the cosmos. It is because Teilhard probes far beyond these limited perspectives that his work is challenging and controversial. It is often said that The Phenomenon of Man is a very difficult book to read, that it is abstruse or merely rhetorical. But it is difficult only because it is a larger and more comprehensive scientific vision than we are accustomed to. It challenges the limits that most scientific thinking unnecessarily imposes on reality, as well as the limits that sociology and religious dogma likewise impose upon human nature and the place of humanity within the scheme of nature. These limits arise because of the question of the nature of consciousness, which is either dismissed as an epiphenomena or else reduced to mere chemistry. Teilhard’s proposal that consciousness is a primary ordering principle of natural evolution therefore clashes with the prejudices of most contemporary thinking. Yet it is obvious that if the place of man within the natural scheme of things is to be understood, consciousness and its possibilities cannot be left out of account. It is because Teilhard takes on this question that his book seems difficult. It is time for a new generation of readers to take up Teilhard’s thought, in a calmer atmosphere than that of its first publication in which it was distorted by both opponents and by enthusiasts alike. The Phenomenon of Man is neither a "mystical vision" nor scientific reductionism. It is simply a larger perspective of natural observation than most studies of evolution are prepared to undertake.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An experience of intellect and argument, 14 April 1999
By A Customer
The reading of this book is an experience in itself. I approached the Phenomenon of Man with some skepticism, as most people will, since it conforms to neither Darwinian or Creationist dogma. Its putative teleology within a spiritual framework is a dissent from both views. What you notice, though, is the immense intellect behind this work. The process of formal argument anticipates and answers the counter arguments as soon as they are posed. You feel as if you are on tracks led to an inevitable conclusion. The book itself becomes analogous to the process de Chardin is proposing. It is finally the homogeneity of the spirit rather than the heterogenous complexification of the natural world which is the ultimate subject of this book. A merging of consciousness in the image of Christ is the conlusion, hardly conforming to Church doctrine of the sovereignty of the individual or free will, which led to the authors problems with the Roman Curia.
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
IF YOU'RE HERE.. (using the internet) YOU SHOULD READ THIS!, 2 Aug 2000
By A Customer
I'm not big on academia, and I hold no particular religious affiliations, so I approached this book from a 'Joe in the street' standpoint, (and this is off the top of my head so to speak), so please forgive any discrepancies - I just felt like giving some'input'!As I recall, Chardin refers to (amongst many other aspects of the human condition, like Love!) something he calls the noosphere, a sphere of evolutionary consciousness around the earth if you like, where (and I'm paraphrasing here) 'man discovers he is nothing else than evolution become conscious of itself' - for me the www/net (and here's where my strapline comes in folks!) would seem to be a natural part of this 'noogenesis' as he puts it, man projecting his mind outward and (hopefully) inward, if you like... If one takes the view that humankind's role is one of being the thinking part of this organism we call earth, a mechanism such as the net (in this context) would appear to be a vital cog in the process of humankind understanding himself and others (at an increased rate!) and so would be contributing to the evolutionary process ....cosmogenesis anyone? ..Ooh yes! and repercussions all round please!.. Seriously, (well as serious as I can get) I personally found Chardin's writing illuminating and thought provoking, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in our place in the universe...
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