Executive Director of the Dialogue Institute at Temple University; Major research field: Interreligious Dialogue; Selected work: Interfaith Dialogue at the Grass Roots (editor, 2009).

Speech Abstract

A Grammar for Transformation: "The Journey of the Universe" film as illustration of Chardin's Omega Point

This paper builds on the work of Mary Evelyn Tucker and her summary of Teilhard de Chardin's cosmology as a basis for a critique of her and John Grimm's film "The Journey of the Universe" (shown at Songyang Academy in recent years). She focuses his work on these themes in Chardin: perspective, purpose, practicality and personalization all of which are working together to move towards what Chardin called "the Omega point." The film displays a powerful exposition of the growth of "symbolic consciousness" as inherent in being fully human in accord with the themes Tucker names. In addition, the model or grammar for change demonstrated in the film hope can be seen as illustrative of Chardin's Omega point. Together the film's understanding of change and Chardin's framework for understanding the innovations that can arise out of transformation pose a serious question. Will we as a human species be able to use the grammar for change framed by Chardin and depicted in the film to create the innovations necessary for peaceful coexistence?  The paper gives a hopeful response to this question.