++> Frank Masingill wrote to D. Martorana on
 ++> "IMMENSE ABSURDITIES (T. Chardin)
 
 ++> Pierre Teilhard de Chardin [1881-1955] (te-yar da shar-dan)
 
 DM>> As mentioned before, The paleontologist, geologist, philosopher, "T.
 DM>> Chardin", labored (among a dozen or so writings) to project a reach
 DM>> into such "unknowing" ..his insight enthusiasm sharing to suggest an
 DM>> image complex of "JESUS" and "SCIENCE"  compounding to cast up a single
 DM>> fountain/realm of brilliance .......a brilliance far beyond either 
heir
 DM>> own visions to reach. .....that is, assuming I read him well enough to
 DM>> grasp! I could NOT agree with him, but in reading his words, did feel 
n
 DM>> the presence of a very special mind......  Probably the only one, as
 DM>> yet, that I ever felt so about.............! __
 
 FM> Please satisfy my curiosity, David.  Are you referring to _The
 FM> Phenomenon of Man_,  _How I Believe_  or some of his more mystic and
 FM> autobiographical writings, the name of which escapes me. I knew
 FM> almost nothing of his personal belief until I read the _How I
 FM> Believe_.  One might INFER some things from his other writings,
 FM> to be sure.  Nothing like somebody coming right out and telling
 FM> you in plain language as he did.
 
 Been about 25/30 years since I spent serious time reading him.
 He touched me in the head and I never forgot ....in fact, of the
 three people in my life able to light my candles, he was the
 biggest burning match ......I never agreed with his major thrust,
 but he satisfied me that the human mind could reach beyond the
 apathy of the possible. I hit the library about twice a week and
 sometimes try to reread a few pages of his works. I was caught in
 the dilemma of his mind and his church as perhaps so was he. Yet
 without such tensions of stricture, he might never have reached
 so high. He was the ultimate high-gnostic (more than once raising
 a Roman brow); and I do half believe he reached and perhaps touched
 higher than his words reflect. I found (find) him scary. Those
 that can enter and expand another's mind also take something from
 it. As over-mentioned in previous postings, the learning/thinking
 experience is NOT simple for me.
 
    Didn't want to become intoxicated within his Omega point 
 
 Of several works I read, I've asterisked those that hang on the
 tip of memory. There was much overlap between writings. I cannot
 acquire and digest the enormous intellectual history of my species.
 For the most part I have not been impressed with what I HAVE been
 able to explore...... I found this "bent Frenchman" a magnificent
 exception.
       --------------------------------------
 PRIMARY WORKS: (Probably more?)  PET=Published English translation
 
 1. 1938-1940     The Phenomenon of Man *          PET 1965
 2.               The Appearance of Man *          PET 1965
 3.               The Vision of past               PET 1966
 4. 1920's        The Devine Milieu PET *          PET 1966
 5. 1920's-40's   The Future of Man     *          PET 1964
 6. 1930's        Human Energy                     PET 1969
 7. 1930's/40's   Activation of Energy
 8. 1949          Man's Place In Nature            PET 1966
 9. 1920's-40's   Science And Christ               PET 1968
10. 1919-1953     How I Believe (Essays) (* Some)  PET 1969
11.               My View of the World
12.               The Heart of the Matter
13.               Hymn of the Universe             PET 1965
14. 1914-1918     Writings in Time of War          PET 1968
 
                     THE LETTERS
     (Never ran across them outside of some quotes...)
 
   NOTE: Most of his (translated into English) works were
   published after his death.
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 I'm sure that after a lifetime "LOOKSEE",    ~^
 we all have a few that stand tall.......!  _/o@"\_ ... Dave
                                             _||_
--- Maximus/2 3.01
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