Teilhardist Account of the Evolution of the Human Being

Abstract

Peter Teilhard de Chardin was a French researcher of prehistoric man and a creator of an original evolutionist system. He distinguished the following basic stages of human growth: somatic, psychological, cultural and spiritual. Although they are different developmental stages, when taken together, they account for the history of humanity.

The originality and the relevance of Teilhard de Chardin's thought is emphasized, among others by Cz. S. Bartnik. The latter researcher stresses that for de Chardin, the past does not mean decline, but climbing from the abyss to the top, like in the Alpha-to-Omega Point progress. The past ceases to be regarded as a cursed Moloch, but it starts to be seen a blessed giver of life, unswervingly actualizing the gift of creation. Thus, it seems that the growth of the human being is not endangered by stagnation or exhaustion. Hominization is continuously going on. Humanity evolves as a genre. It is human duty to get to know human nature. The bottom line is not to merely learn about the development stages of humanity, but first and foremost, it is to improve, to be more and more human, up to the ultimate of human growth.