The Extent and Impact of Racism and Eugenics in the Writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

Abstract

The impact of eugenics on the early-twentieth-century scientific community was vast, including nearly all evolutionary scientists, paleontologists, and biologists. The Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French paleontologist, was no exception. This article analyzes the full extent and impact of racist and eugenic ideas in Teilhard’s writings between 1905 and 1955. It examines the underlying causes of eugenics as specific philosophical and scientific arguments and traces the lineage of these arguments within the writings and letters of Teilhard. This research reveals a consistent colonialist and paternalistic racism within Teilhard’s writings, as well as a firm commitment to eugenics in the last fifteen years of his life. This study concludes with a review of the lack of discussion of race and eugenics within Teilhardian scholarship, and points to a way forward.