The Exploitation of Nature and Teilhard’s Ecotheology of Love

Abstract

Although Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the Jesuit priest and paleontologist, died in 1955, long before the word ‘ecotheology’ existed, he has in his writings an ecotheology in substance if not in name. He overcomes the humanity versus nature dichotomy present in contemporary culture. In his theology he closes the gap between nature and humanity that permits and encourages us to exploit nature, the gap that nurtures the ecological problem of our exploitation of the earth to our own and the earth’s detriment. Teilhard develops a theory of convergent evolution. Evolution now takes place mainly in humankind and it takes the form of socialization, of growth in human organization and in human consciousness. Within the framework of his theory of evolution, Teilhard de Chardin works out a theology of Jesus Christ, a Christology, that has at its heart an ecotheology of love.