Faith of a modern prophet

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33816, 12 April 1975, Page 10

Faith of a modern prophet

Toward the Future. By Teilhard de Chardin. Translated by Rene Hague. Collins. 236 pp. N.Z. price $5.70. Since “The Phenomenon of Ma_n" was published, posthumously, in 1955, in French, and in 1959. in English, a cult has grown up around the writings of Teilhard de Chardin, the French Jesuit geologist and palaeontologist. His writings qualify him to be regarded as one of this century s few prophets in the biblical sense. Not all the members of this cult accept all of de Chardin's argumentsor conclusions. His “scholasticism" isometimes trying, and his arguments in favour of a unitary view of the universe and of life have for some frighteningly totalitarian overtones, as de Chardin acknowledges in th;< volume in the essay entitled "The Road of the West.” * But even those who have reservations about aspects of de Chardin's writings are generally impressed by the breadth of his vision, and generally excited by his ability to hold together bodies of thought and attitudes which most see as disparate and even antagonistic. De Chardin is one of those rat e persons, a Christian whose writings grip those who cannot abide pious moralising or talk about God which takes no account; of developments in modern philosophical and scientific thought. This quality is perhaps most striking, in this volume, in the essay on “The Evolution of Chastity.” Most non-Christian readers at least will finish the essay with a feeling that it leads by exceedingly convoluted arguments to a thoroughly unacceptable conclusion. “Toward the Future” is a collection of essays and reflections in which de Chardin discusses themes which will be familiar to those who have read any of his now numerous, previously published works — evolution, the nature and significance of consciousness, the progressive unification of mankind and how Christ can be fitted into a world view which sees everything as changing, with no

finality yet reached, and nothins eternal and pre-existent beneath change. Many’ of the pieces are ephemera De Chardin’s editors are clearly beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Because rhe pieces are large.■. disconnected and cover a variety topics, it is tempting to say that tl-.e book will confuse a reader n> t previously acquainted with dChardin's writings and to -uggest M.u it would be better for a beginner start with one of the more sx-tenn’ volumes published earlier. But with de Chardin's exciting often difficult thought it. is very m a matter of having to leap in somewhere. .Most of those who ar< members of the de Chardin “cult" today leaped into a work which is :he most systematic ot them all but also, probably, the most difficult. 'lr? Phenomenon of Man." A collection M lighter, more readable piece-, like those contained in 'toward the Future” might provide an easier introduction to de Chardin's though: or at least an easiet rest of whether his writing is to a novice's taste [he almost tragically ironical ih;::g about de Chardin's writings is that they appeal most to those who cannot go all the wav with him — those who cannot accept his explicitly Christian conclusions. Many orthodox Christians read his works sympathetically, but many also regard his works with deep mistrust. This is perhaps the inevitable fate of someone who has tried to bridge a gap as wide as that which exists between rational humanism and Christian faith. He cannot hope to satisfy all people on both sides of the gap. Perhaps the only thing which unites those who hold these differing beliefs is an ineradicable streak of optimism. De Chardin’s glowing optimism, both about the future of man and about he possibility of reconciling Christianity with a science based on evolution, is what above al) makes his writings so appealing to people of such different personal beliefs.