Teilhard de Chardin, Dobzhansky y Potter: reflexiones sobre religión, ciencia y secularización

Abstract

The rhetoric imposed by the thesis of the conflict has generated a simplistic understanding on the history of science. This idea obviates everything that refers to the possible influence of nonscientific ideas – particularly religion, in a very broad sense – in the development of science itself. However, there are examples of how this “stormy” relationship between science and religion has come from the most diverse perspectives, such as those raised by Ian Barbour (conflict, integration, independence, dialogue), and later extended by Mikael Stenmark denominated muldimensional model. This presentation focuses on the evolutionary ideas developed by the French paleoanthropologist and Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), and his influence on two of the most influential scientists of the 20th century: the American geneticist of Ukrainian origin Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900- 1975) and the American biochemist Van Rensselaer Potter (1911-2001). The relevance of the work of the first centered on the impetus of modern genetics, while the latter is considered the founder of some of the most current disciplines, bioethics. In both cases, the influence of Teilhardian ideas was decisive in conceiving it as a worldview that surpasses an approach attached to what was conceived as the proper scientific practice. It is interesting to note the different ways in which both authors took Teilhard back from a deep commitment to what the first denominated pancristianism, until a form of secularization that above all looked for to establish bridges of dialogue. From the above, the objective is to present a reflection on how complicated the relations between science and religion can be, which inevitably calls for the history of science, and especially scientists, to accept the need to open to expanded visions about their own practice.