“The Dissemination of Teilhard de Chardin’s Ideas in the Diaspora and Lithuania”, Nr.S-LIP-22-125

Project No. S-LIP-22-125             
Project title: “The Dissemination of Teilhard de Chardin’s Ideas in the Diaspora and Lithuania”
Project duration: from 2022-09-01 to 2024-12-31
Project manager: Rūta Marija Vabalaitė

The aim of the project: to investigate the influence of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin for the formation of Lithuanian philosophical thinking and changing worldviews in society, by analyzing his reception in the philosophy of Exile which also reached Lithuanian clergy and intellectuals, highlighting their significance for the opening up of Lithuanian Catholic society in the broad context of worldview intersections and interaction with the ideology of communism. Teilhard de Chardin made a big effect on the Lithuanian philosophers in Exile (A. Maceina, J. Girnius, A. Paškus and others), however the prolonged discussions among those authors on the thinking of French Jesuit, hasn’t been analyzed yet. The novelty of the project is that it will involve researchers from two disciplines: history and philosophy, research material will be expanded with archival data and memoirs. This will allow the reconstruction of the peripeteias of the reception of Teilhard de Chardin’s thought in the Lithuanian Catholic community and in the official philosophy of the end of the Soviet period, to estimate their impact on the change of atitudes of Catholic communities and on the formation of Revival moods and movements. During the internship the project promoters will supplement the research material, that is available in Lithuania, with material relevant to the research, but not yet analyzed, that is stored in the Lithuanian World Archives library. Historical research on the spread of Teilhard de Chardin’s ideas will expand the thematic field of research in the role of religious ideas in the development of worldview in the Soviet era and during the period of state restoration. The translation of “The Heart of Mateer” by Teilhard de Chardin (the work, which represents the totality of his thinking and allows for a better understanding of the philosophers’ discussions in Exile) into Lithuanian will expand the field of Lithuanian philosophical discourse. All study results will be announced in articles and a monograph, publicized at a scientific seminar and an event for the general public.

The project is carried out under the Lithuanian Science Council’s (LSC) Lithuanian Studies Programme.