biography
| name: |
Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre
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pronunciation:
[tayah duh shah(r)
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1881–1955)
|
| biography:
| Geologist, palaeontologist, Jesuit priest, and philosopher, born in Sarcenat, C France. He lectured in pure science at the Jesuit College in Cairo, was ordained in 1911, and in 1918 became professor of geology at the Institut Catholique in Paris. He went on palaeontological expeditions in China and C Asia, but his unorthodox ideas led to a ban on his teaching and publishing. Nevertheless, his work in Cenozoic geology and palaeontology became known, and he was awarded academic distinctions. His major work, Le Phénomène humain (written 1938–40, The Phenomenon of Humanity) was posthumously published. Based on his scientific thinking, it argues that humanity is in a continuous process of evolution towards a perfect spiritual state. From 1951 he lived in the USA. |
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