Judging Teilhard.In reading Eugene McCarraher's review of The Best American Spiritual Writing 2004 ("Passion & Obedience," November 5), I was puzzled by his observation that Teilhard de Chardin Teil·hard de Char·din , Pierre 1881-1955. French priest, paleontologist, and philosopher who maintained that the universe and humankind are evolving toward a perfect state. was a "charlatan char·la·tan n. A person fraudulently claiming knowledge and skills not possessed. charlatan (shar´l who can't be ridiculed too often." I have found Teilhard's writing to be thought provoking, optimistic, and imaginative. I'd be interested in McCarraher's reason for his negative opinion. MARTHA MCNEILL PROTOMASTRO Albuquerque, N. Mex. The author replies: This isn't the place to outline the bill of indictment A formal written document that is drawn up by a government prosecutor accusing a designated person of having committed a felony or misdemeanor and which is presented to a Grand Jury so that it may take action upon it. BILL OF INDICTMENT. I'd enter against Teilhard. To those interested, I recommend Garry Wills's discussion in Bare Ruined Choirs. But let me mention the major charges. Teilhard's work has always struck me as a fusion of woolly-headed theology, half-digested evolutionary biology Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change, multiplication, and diversity over time. , and just plain bad, even ugly writing: terms like "cephalization ceph·a·li·za·tion n. An evolutionary trend in the animal kingdom toward centralization of neural and sensory organs in the head or anterior region of the body. " and "complexification" are landmarks in the history of jargon. And all of this in the service of a visionary scheme which, at its clearest, doesn't seem to me all that different from Social Darwinism. Teilhard's historical significance will be as an ideological figure whose writing served to sanctify sanc·ti·fy tr.v. sanc·ti·fied, sanc·ti·fy·ing, sanc·ti·fies 1. To set apart for sacred use; consecrate. 2. To make holy; purify. 3. the cultural politics of Catholic intellectuals intent, especially during the cold war, on joining in American celebrations of Progress, Science, and Technology. While that would seem to make Teilhard a peculiarly generational phenomenon, the fact that he continues to elicit devotion, even among intellectuals who really ought to know better, is a sign that those ideological needs are as strong and beguiling as ever. EUGENE MCCARRAHER |
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