When there is enough total awareness in the overall system of humanity, humanity itself will lock into a new system of organization, and will become an autonomous, self-steering, brain-like system.

Portrait of the author.

Ben Goertzel

World Wide Brain

2002

Hominization

Hominization, as interpreted by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, refers not just to the biological emergence of the human species but to a profound evolutionary threshold where matter becomes conscious of itself. Teilhard, a French Jesuit priest and paleontologist, saw the rise of humanity as a pivotal stage in the unfolding story of the cosmos. For him, hominization was less about anatomical change than about the birth of reflective thought—the moment when life no longer merely evolved, but began to recognize, question, and shape its own evolution. Humanity, in this view, marks the transition from biological complexity to inner awareness.

Teilhard placed hominization within a broader, almost cosmic framework of evolution, which he envisioned as a process moving toward greater unity and consciousness. In his model, human self-awareness is not a random accident but the first clear step toward what he called the noösphere, a sphere of collective thought enveloping the planet. Hominization thus becomes the bridge between the biological and the spiritual, the material and the transcendent. It is the point where evolution ceases to be merely physical and takes on a new trajectory, aiming toward higher forms of consciousness and, ultimately, convergence in what Teilhard described as the Omega Point—a culmination of unity, purpose, and divine fulfillment.

Documents

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1945)

A Great Event Foreshadowed

The Planetization of Mankind

Teilhard explores the rise of the masses and the socialization of humanity. He predicts a future Earth where human consciousness evolves to its peak, achieving a maximum of complexity and unity through a process of “planetization,” and argues that collective unity is not a threat but a path to personalization and humanization. As we head towards an interconnected world, he challenges us to embrace a sense of evolution and celebrate our shared destiny.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1923)

Hominization

Introduction to a Scientific Study of the Phenomenon of Man

In one of his earliest writings on the topic, Teilhard de Chardin explores humanity’s unique place in evolution. He argues that humans represent an entirely new phase of life on Earth—the noosphere, or sphere of conscious thought. While physically similar to other primates, humans are revolutionary in their ability to use tools, form global connections, and reflect on their own existence. This self-awareness comes with both great power and great risk, as humans can choose to either advance or resist evolution’s push toward greater consciousness and unity.

Terence McKenna   (1994)

Megatripolis Opening Night

Terence McKenna discusses the discovery of a new legal psychedelic compound from the salvia divinorum plant. He argues that humanity is on the brink of a cultural transformation driven by the accelerating production of novelty in the universe, enabled by psychedelics and technology. He envisions a transcendental future where boundaries dissolve and consciousness evolves.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1951)

Reflections on the Scientific Probability and the Religious Consequences of an Ultra-Human

Evolution as a cosmic drama: matter rising through life into reflective humanity, converging toward a planetary mind. Teilhard says this “ultra-human” destiny fuses science and spirit, where God is not above but ahead—emerging as love at the core of creation, and igniting the world into a conscious fire.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1961)

Survival

Teilhard de Chardin's book, The Phenomenon of Man, reinterpreted in a visual format to illustrate the complex topics covered therein.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1953)

The Activation of Human Energy

Teilhard sees human energy not as brute force but as consciousness folding back on itself, organizing matter into ever greater complexity. Our survival rests less on fuel than on vision and will. This energy converges toward a final peak—an irreversible surge of awareness—suggesting that spirit, not physics, is the true engine of the cosmos.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1955)

The Phenomenon of Man

Visionary theologian and evolutionary theorist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin applied his whole life, his tremendous intellect, and his great spiritual faith to building a philosophy that would reconcile religion with the scientific theory of evolution. In this timeless book (whose original French title better translates to “The Human Phenomenon”), Teilhard argues that just as living organisms sprung from inorganic matter and evolved into ever more complex thinking beings, humans are evolving toward an “omega point”—defined by Teilhard as a convergence with the Divine.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1949)

The Psychological Conditions of the Unification of Man

Teilhard discusses the objective and subjective conditions necessary for humankind to maintain its passion for unification and progress. Objectively, the universe must be perceived as open and centered towards the future. Subjectively, humanity must develop a heightened sense of the irreversible, the cosmic, and a faith that serves as a driving force for the world's advancement, which he suggests can be found in a properly understood Christianity.

Erich Jantsch   (1980)

The Self-Organizing Universe

Scientific and Human Implications of the Emerging Paradigm of Evolution

The evolution of the universe—ranging from cosmic and biological to sociocultural evolution—is viewed in terms of the unifying paradigm of self-organization. The contours of this paradigm emerge from the synthesis of a number of important concepts, and provide a scientific foundation to a new world-view which emphasizes process over structure, nonequilibrium over equilibrium, evolution over permanency, and individual creativity over collective stabilization. The book, with its emphasis on the interaction of microstructures with the entire biosphere, ecosystems etc., and on how micro- and macrocosmos mutually create the conditions for their further evolution, provides a comprehensive framework for a deeper understanding of human creativity in a time of transition.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1929)

The Sense of Man

Humanity is not a scatter of individuals, but the birth of a single mind—the noosphere. Just as life once ignited from matter, thought now ignites from life. Teilhard says our task is no longer survival alone, but conscious evolution to forge a unified destiny where the universe awakens to itself through us.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1953)

The Stuff of the Universe

Gazing upon the island of Saint Helena during his voyage from New York City to the Cape Peninsula, Teilhard de Chardin articulates his vision of human evolution culminating in cosmic unity with the Christ—the ultimate center of consciousness and complexity in the universe.

Terence McKenna   (1990)

Touched by the Tremendum

Terence McKenna suggests ancient African societies used psychedelic mushrooms in communal rituals, leading to reduced ego and increased cooperation. When climate change disrupted this harmony, it pushed humans into the “nightmare of history” dominated by ego and competition. McKenna advocates for reconnecting with psychedelics, particularly psilocybin and DMT, as tools for dissolving ego-boundaries and potentially saving our planet from ecological crisis. The talk concludes with a lively debate about the practicality of his vision.