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The Jesuit and the Skull: Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking Man

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The Jesuit and the Skull: Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking Man

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Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem, ?an extraordinary story?( Philadelphia Inquirer) of discovery, evolution, science, and faith.

In 1929, French Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a part of a group of scientists that uncovered a skull that became known as Peking Man, a key evolutionary link that left Teilhard torn between science and his ancient faith, and would leave him ostracized by his beloved Catholic Church. His struggle is at the heart of The Jesuit and the Skull, which takes readers across continents and cultures in a fascinating exploration of one of the twentieth century's most important discoveries, and one of the world's most provocative pieces of evidence in the roiling debate between creationism and evolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440637353
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/04/2008
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	344,741
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Amir D. Aczel, PhD, is the author of 17 books on mathematics and science, some of which have been international bestsellers. Aczel has taught mathematics, statistics, and the history of science at various universities, and was a visiting scholar at Harvard in 2005 to 2007. In 2004, Aczel was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is also the recipient of several teaching awards and a grant from the American Institute of Physics to support the writing of two of his books. Aczel is currently a research fellow in the history of science at Boston University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"By making the discovery of evolution and its verifying evidence into a fun story, both author and narrator lighten education with entertainment." —-AudioFile

Ian Tattersall

"An absorbing read [and] deeply moving personal story that sheds light on a now-vanished world."--(Ian Tattersall, curator in the Division of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History and author of Human Origins)

Ofer Bar-Yosef

"The fascinating story of the tumultuous life of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Jesuit and the Skull is also an object lesson in how to reconcile one's religious beliefs with the study of evolution. Amir D. Aczel skillfully brings to life the struggles and achievements of this legendary scientist, and he tells a very human tale with great insight and compassion."--(Professor Ofer Bar-Yosef, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University)

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Editorial Reviews

Best-selling science author Aczel (Fermat's Last Theorem) returns with the story of a modern-day Galileo. Paleontologist and Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin spent his life searching for fossils of early man and developing a theology that attempted to resolve any conflict with evolution. Aczel's story focuses on the role Teilhard played in the 1929 discovery of Peking Man, an early ancestor of modern man. Aczel interweaves this remarkable find with Teilhard's close and difficult relationship with sculptor Lucille Swan, the Catholic church's censorship of his writings, and his exile to China. Aczel provides insights into Teilhard's personality by evoking questions about his tireless loyalty: he often sacrificed his career, his personal fulfillment, and work for vows to a church that continually disowned him. Additionally, Aczel supplies a helpful introduction to paleoanthropology and a recent update about the search for the lost Peking Man fossils, which disappeared in China during World War II. Unfortunately, Aczel only hints at Teilhard's unique theology, never providing a full explanation of how he might have resolved the conflict between his science and his faith. Still, recommended for academic and public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ6/1/07.]
—Scott Vieira

Library Journal

A priest/paleontologist's fraught efforts to reconcile the theory of evolution with his faith. Aczel (The Artist and the Mathematician: The Story of Nicolas Bourbaki, the Genius Mathematician Who Never Existed, 2006, etc.) doesn't bother much with biographical detail in this proficient account of Teilhard de Chardin's role in the international quest for a "missing link" that would demonstrate the evolutionary ties between apes and humans. Ordained in 1911, Chardin did not believe that his devout Catholicism required him to ignore the period's rapid advances in science. He had experienced those advances firsthand as a participant in exciting fossil discoveries in Egypt, in French caves and on digs in China with Rockefeller-funded fossil-hunter Davidson Black. The new field of paleoanthropology was emerging, Aczel shows, driven by discoveries of the fossils of three hominids inhabiting the world at overlapping periods: Homo sapiens (Cro-Magnon Man), Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthal) and Homo erectus (Java Man). A spectacular example of erectus was discovered in 1929 by Chardin and the David crew in China's Zhoukoudian caves. There they unearthed the fossil dubbed Peking Man-"as typical a link between man and the apes as one could wish for," the priest wrote exultantly. (This vital find, along with many other fossils, vanished in 1941 during the Japanese occupation of China.) Chardin extensively considered the relationship of science and religion in his books, which attempted to prove that "God works through evolutionary processes to propel humanity ever forward." His ideas continually got him into trouble with his Jesuit superiors, who essentially exiled him to America. Aczel manipulatesan enormous amount of material in an orderly fashion, and his admiration for Chardin's humanity is evident. No-frills intellectual history for the lay reader.

Kirkus Reviews

"By making the discovery of evolution and its verifying evidence into a fun story, both author and narrator lighten education with entertainment." ---AudioFile

From the Publisher

Banished to China by the Catholic Church in the 1920s for his anti-doctrinal ideas about the evolution of humans, Father Teilhard de Chardin struck anthropological gold. His 1929 discovery of Peking man in Java gave science a missing link in the theory of evolution. Amir Aczel writes for all curious readers, regardless of their level of scientific expertise. Narrator Barrett Whitener makes the painless science even easier as he breezes through the French and Chinese names and technical terms. His voice seems reserved and unhurried, a plus when listeners want to absorb all the details without having to rewind. By making the discovery of evolution and its verifying evidence into a fun story, both author and narrator lighten education with entertainment. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 08 - AudioFile