Ilia Delio, Does Evolution Have Direction?

By Rigel Thurston

We had a fantastic Zoom meeting and discussion with the distinguished scholar and academic Ilia Delio.

Watch the full presentation and join the discussion here: https://youtu.be/koYGt9BWe1Y

Jesuit scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin proposed a cosmic vision of evolution governed by the principle of Omega. Confusion around his use of this symbol has led to speculative ideas, including a terminal point of evolution.

In this talk, Ilia explores Teilhard’s notion of Omega as a governing principle of increasing complexity and consciousness, accompanied by increasing spirit and the energy of love. The Omega principle provides a framework to discuss a possible direction of evolution.

Ilia Delio, OSF holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University. Her area of research is Systematic-Constructive theology. She has a doctorate in Pharmacology from Rutgers University, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and a doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University. She is the author of twenty-four books, including The Hours of the Universe: Reflections on God, Science and the Human Journey, which won the 2022 Gold Nautilus Book Award, Making All Things New: Catholicity, Cosmology and Consciousness, a finalist for the 2019 Michael Ramsey Prize. She is the founder and Director of the Center for Christogenesis, an online spiritual and educational resource for the integration of science, religion, and culture.

 

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