Ben Crenshaw asked:
Hello. I have been reading some of Pierre de Chardin's books this year. I have heard the quote "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; but spiritual beings having a human experience" attributed to him and that it is from The Phenomena of Man. However, that quote does not appear in that work. Does anyone know the exact source for that quote?
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Ray Wikiquotes has the following entry regarding this "quote:"
[Disputed]
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
This is attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in The Joy of Kindness (1993), by Robert J. Furey, p. 138; but it is attributed to G. I. Gurdjieff in Beyond Prophecies and Predictions: Everyone's Guide To The Coming Changes (1993) by Moira Timms, p. 62; neither cite a source. It was widely popularized by Wayne Dyer, who often quotes it in his presentations, crediting it to Chardin, as does Stephen Covey in Living the 7 Habits : Stories of Courage and Inspiration (2000), p. 47
Variant: We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.
The above "quotation" can be considered a paraphrase of Hegel's dictum that matter is spirit fallen into a state of self-otherness.
Duane Roberts In some important ways, when we discuss attribution details we often loose sight of the truths in the idea: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings…". Therein is the crux of the concept. Can we ever experience God solely by either physical or spiritual senses? It seems de Chardin might be testing the thought that we are both spiritual and earthly beings...that life has purpose beyond worldly pursuits. This is what I like about his writing. He provokes my thinking and thereby helps enlighten me as I study all truth.
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Top reviews from the United States
Aran Joseph CanesTop Contributor: Philosophy
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Phenomenon of Teilhard de Chardin
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019
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The Phenomena of Man starts with Chardin stating that he wants the reader to correctly see the evolution of the universe. Of course, the scientific understanding of cosmogony, geology and paleo-anthropology have increased since the mid twentieth century and parts of Chardin’s magnum opus are now dated. However, the essence of his vision remains unspoiled, if still controversial.
Chardin posits the theory of pan-psychism. Consciousness in human beings is explained not as an epiphenomenon but as the acme of a consciousness found in every atom, molecule and cell. Although counterintuitive, pan-psychism does continue to have adherents within the scientific community. This move allows Chardin to describe evolution, not as the random succession of adaptive forms, but as a progression to higher and higher levels of consciousness.
Thus, the human being is the goal of both the earth’s and the universe’s genesis. We are matter awakening to itself. Thus, the noosphere, the collective creation of human thought, is just as real and important as the atmosphere or biosphere. This noosphere is evolving towards a collective “Omega Point” of maximum consciousness and love.
If all of this seems a little far-fetched, it’s partly because it is and partly because Chardin is a consummate artist in describing his vision. What seems at first blush absurd becomes more and more plausible, at least partially, as the book continues.
It is probably the most articulate alternative to the standard materialist/nihilist version of evolution proffered by biologists such as Richard Dawkins. Although, to be fair to Dawkins, his idea of memes evolving amongst humanity also grants to the world of thought a reality and importance beyond mere biological evolution. In some ways, materialist and humanist interpretations of cosmogony and biological evaluation seem like two different interpretations of the same reality.
Of course, Chardin’s account of all matter having some degree of consciousness, moreover even some degree of love, is highly questionable. And, at least in my reading, the account of man as apex of creation hinges upon this assumption.
But, as with any highly creative and synthetic work, it is well worth reading even if certain particulars seem ill founded. Highly recommended.
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Spoiled Meat
5.0 out of 5 stars Evolution Meets Modernity
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2015
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This book is one of the most profound intellectual adventures I've ever been on. Anyone interested in spirituality and the evolution of consciousness should read this. Teilhard was ahead of his time, even predicting the internet. Not only is he clear and easy to read in his analysis, he is also a gifted writer. I put this book down many times to either savor a insight he made, or to let the poetic nature of a phrase sink in. The best thing about this book is that it trains you to view the world through the lens of evolution. Although the book must end, Teilhard gives you enough structure to continue his analysis in our everyday lives and reveal once invisible connections.
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Richard B. SchwartzTop Contributor: Philosophy
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4.0 out of 5 stars More a Cultural Monument than a Theological or Scientific One
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018
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I came to THE PHENOMENON OF MAN later in life. When I was in college Teilhard de Chardin was all the rage. I heard about the book but I never found time to read it. Since then it has been on my ‘must read some day’ list. I found the book interesting and engaging but I also had difficulty positioning it. It is not pure science and it is not pure theology, nor is it pure metaphysics. He recognizes this when he says, “Among those who have attempted to read this book to the end, many will close it, dissatisfied and thoughtful, wondering whether I have been leading them through facts, through metaphysics or through dreams (p. 289).”
The thrust of his thought is clear. He believes that evolution and theology are completely commensurate with one another. The evolutionary process leads toward consciousness and thought. We progress from the biosphere to the noosphere. Some take the latter concept to be a theologized version of the internet—the consciousness and thought of ‘all of us’. Our final destination is the ‘Omega Point’, God. Since Christianity tells us that God is both the alpha and the omega I would have liked to have heard Teilhard’s view of the big bang, whose nature and timing were in the process of being understood when he was writing.
Throughout the book Teilhard is forced to hedge. We can’t see all of the way back into the past nor all of the way into the future. We can’t really yet know all of the outside of things nor all of the inside of things. Nevertheless, he presses on, guided by his overarching vision of human/cosmic evolution.
Ultimately, I think the book is best not characterized as science or theology. It is ‘visionary’ speculation presented in the language of science. Some have said, for example, that Marx was really not an economist and Freud was really not a scientist. They were poets, creating concepts and images that are an important part of our cultural inheritance and important elements in our cultural language. They are not really science. I think of Teilhard in those kinds of terms. We can now talk about the Omega Point and the noosphere, but they do not carry the kind of specificity that ‘Molybdenum’ or the ‘pancreas’ enjoy.
His work fell afoul of church teaching during his own time and his work was published posthumously. Obviously, the church had some issues with evolution, particularly the notion of evolution as a kind of closed system. ‘Organicism’ is different from ‘determinism’ but there is a ruthless momentum to Teilhard’s view of evolution that smacks of determinism. There is no significant talk here concerning free will and free will is central to Christian theology, particularly when we seek to understand the problem of evil. Teilhard speaks of the latter in an appendix and his thoughts are quite pedestrian. It is hard to reconcile Teilhard’s thought with the notion of original sin and it is questionable whether or not Teilhard would permit divine intervention in human history once the original plan has been set in motion.
Bottom line: the directions of Teilhard’s thought can serve (like the ‘arguments’ for God’s existence) as aids to piety, but his work will neither make the church comfortable nor receive the full-throated approval of scientists. His science per se is well-informed but when he gets into theory and explication we are sometimes at a loss to penetrate his language, which is too abstract and/or too abstruse. He writes like this (chosen at random): “b. Next comes ingenuity. This is the indispensable condition, or more precisely the constructive facet, of additivity.” (Why does ‘additivity’ have to be ingenious? Why couldn’t it also be simple and direct?)
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R D RUDD
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value, Third of the way through now, still extolling the essences.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2018
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Nothing to dislike here. Quality read, consistently mentally upgradable with application of modern Brain filtering awareness. RDR
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The quality of the product admirably met its description.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2020
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It took rather a long time to get to me but the product was fine. A second hand hardback in good condition. It’s on my reading list, but haven’t got to it yet, so no comment on this seminal text. I was slightly disappointed that the book arrived without its dust jacket which featured in the on-line photo, as it was a nice period piece.
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sjm53
2.0 out of 5 stars Teilhard may be on to something but his florid and ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2016
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Teilhard may be on to something but his florid and pretentious prose does nothing to illuminate his thesis and leaves him open to the criticism of Sir Peter Medawar referenced by other reviewers. Readers unconvinced by the arguments of Dawkins and his acolytes should read Jerry Fodor's "What Darwin Got Wrong" or Raymond Tallis "Aping Mankind".
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Amazon Customer in UK
3.0 out of 5 stars Spoilt by poor editing of e version
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2017
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Cannot fault Teilhard rd Chardin obviously but the reading made difficult by the poor editing of the format with regard to typos. A great shame.
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beatrice kennedy
5.0 out of 5 stars Human development.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2016
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Essential reading for all interested in acquiring a broad view of human development.
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