How Does the Teilhardian Vision of Evolution Compare with Contemporary Theories?

Abstract. Teilhard de Chardin's ideas about the mechanisms of biological evolution are revised and their connections with contemporary theories are reported. Teilhard de Chardin's main contribution is the proposal of a new scientific discipline, geobiology—the science of the biosphere evol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zygon
Main Author: Galleni, Lodovico (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 1995
In: Zygon
Further subjects:B Gaia Hypothesis
B geobiology
B Noosphere
B Evolution
B Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
B biosphere
B orthogenesis
B evolutionary landscape
B Complexity
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Summary:Abstract. Teilhard de Chardin's ideas about the mechanisms of biological evolution are revised and their connections with contemporary theories are reported. Teilhard de Chardin's main contribution is the proposal of a new scientific discipline, geobiology—the science of the biosphere evolving as a whole. The main fields of interest of geobiology are reported, and its relationships with contemporary hypotheses, such as Lovelock's Gaia, are discussed. The consequences of this kind of approach are the parallel evolution described as orthogenesis and the presence of canalization phenomena. These Teilhardian hypotheses are discussed in relation to those of the process structuralists and to the novelties of the molecular evolution of the genome. Conclusions are that the mechanisms discussed by Teilhard are presently taken into consideration by contemporary evolutionists in order to construct a new theory of biological evolution.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contains:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1995.tb00050.x