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Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner #CW 1
Goethean Science
About the Author:
RUDOLF STEINER (1861-1925) became a respected and well-published scientific,
literary, and philosophical scholar, particularly known for his work on
Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he
began to develop his earlier philosophical principles into an approach to
methodical research of psychological and spiritual phenomena. His
multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in
medicine, philosophy, religion, education (Waldorf schools), special
education (the Camphill movement), economics, agriculture (biodynamics),
science, architecture, and the arts (drama, speech and eurythmy). In 1924 he
founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which has branches throughout
the world.
- GenresPhilosophyScienceNature
Paperback
First published December 1, 1988
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About the author
Rudolf Steiner
4,285 books1,087 followersAuthor also wrote under the name Rudolph Steiner.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His teachings are influenced by Christian Gnosticism or neognosticism. Many of his ideas are pseudoscientific. He was also prone to pseudohistory.
In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality. His philosophical work of these years, which he termed "spiritual science", sought to apply what he saw as the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions, differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, dance and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts. In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked on various ostensibly applied projects, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.
Steiner advocated a form of ethical individualism, to which he later brought a more explicitly spiritual approach. He based his epistemology on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's world view in which "thinking…is no more and no less an organ of perception than the eye or ear. Just as the eye perceives colours and the ear sounds, so thinking perceives ideas." A consistent thread that runs through his work is the goal of demonstrating that there are no limits to human knowledge.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His teachings are influenced by Christian Gnosticism or neognosticism. Many of his ideas are pseudoscientific. He was also prone to pseudohistory.
In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality. His philosophical work of these years, which he termed "spiritual science", sought to apply what he saw as the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions, differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, dance and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts. In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked on various ostensibly applied projects, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.
Steiner advocated a form of ethical individualism, to which he later brought a more explicitly spiritual approach. He based his epistemology on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's world view in which "thinking…is no more and no less an organ of perception than the eye or ear. Just as the eye perceives colours and the ear sounds, so thinking perceives ideas." A consistent thread that runs through his work is the goal of demonstrating that there are no limits to human knowledge.
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January 24, 2020
I read a lot of Steiner. But it's been my policy not to write reviews, for a variety of reasons. In this case I'm making an exception.
Rudolf Steiner wrote 30 books, and another 300+ books exist that contain his lecture series (usually 8-12 lectures given on a specific topic). These are organized into Steiner's Collected Works, from CW 1 to CW 354 (the original German catalog is labeled GA 1 to GA 354).
Nature's Open Secret is CW 1; it's the first book Steiner wrote (published in 1883 when Steiner was 22). I've been studying Nature's Open Secret with two friends; we meet weekly to discuss what we've read. We started last May, and just finished this week. It was intense, and very satisfying.
In the early 1880s, a German National Literature body started the effort to collect and organize Goethe's complete works. Goethe, the giant of German literature from the previous century, had left enigmatic scientific writings along with his plays, novels and poems which were something of an embarrassment to the literati of Germany since they were ill understood. Steiner was recommended for this post, as he had exhibited a keen interest in Goethe's scientific efforts beginning with his theory of color (which appeared to stand in opposition to Newton). Rudolf Steiner accepted the assignment and spent the next 14 years working on the project.
Steiner was, of course, the founder of Anthroposophy. But he originally wanted to call it Goetheanism, and that name has merit because Anthroposophy owes much to Goethe and his unique way of approaching nature. In short, he found a way to think spiritually in order to penetrate to an inner reality. From this inner reality Goethe came up with the Metamorphosis of a Plant among other findings. Goethe's spiritual approach to the plant world, the animal world, color, and other natural phenomena inspired Steiner who found in Goethe a common spirit.
Whereas Darwin believed that the nature of the organism is, in fact, limited to those external characteristics that affect survival, and thus concluded from their variability that there is nothing constant in the life of plants, Goethe went deeper and concluded that if the outer characteristics are not constant, then what is constant must be sought in something else underlying those changeable externalities. To develop a concept of this “something else” became Goethe’s life work, while Darwin’s efforts went toward exploring and explaining in detail the causes of the organism’s variability. Both approaches are necessary and complement one an other.
In his scientific work, Goethe went on to study animal morphology (where he is credited with the discovery of the intermaxillary bone, which until then had been understood to be the only distinguishing feature between man and animal). Goethe also came up with a unique and enduring theory of color, in contrast to the work of Isaac Newton. He regularly corresponded with leading natural scientists of his day, among whom he was highly regarded. But over time, the author of Faust as well as a number of other plays, novels and poems, could not be held in any esteem scientifically by successive generations as science became more specialized and subject to prevailing theories and prejudices.
This book is an excellent introduction to principles of Goethean science which also lay the foundation for understanding Anthroposophy as it relates to natural science. In addition it's a good introduction to the writings of Rudolf Steiner. But it's interesting in it's own right, as an explanation of key principles of life and natural science.
Rudolf Steiner wrote 30 books, and another 300+ books exist that contain his lecture series (usually 8-12 lectures given on a specific topic). These are organized into Steiner's Collected Works, from CW 1 to CW 354 (the original German catalog is labeled GA 1 to GA 354).
Nature's Open Secret is CW 1; it's the first book Steiner wrote (published in 1883 when Steiner was 22). I've been studying Nature's Open Secret with two friends; we meet weekly to discuss what we've read. We started last May, and just finished this week. It was intense, and very satisfying.
In the early 1880s, a German National Literature body started the effort to collect and organize Goethe's complete works. Goethe, the giant of German literature from the previous century, had left enigmatic scientific writings along with his plays, novels and poems which were something of an embarrassment to the literati of Germany since they were ill understood. Steiner was recommended for this post, as he had exhibited a keen interest in Goethe's scientific efforts beginning with his theory of color (which appeared to stand in opposition to Newton). Rudolf Steiner accepted the assignment and spent the next 14 years working on the project.
Steiner was, of course, the founder of Anthroposophy. But he originally wanted to call it Goetheanism, and that name has merit because Anthroposophy owes much to Goethe and his unique way of approaching nature. In short, he found a way to think spiritually in order to penetrate to an inner reality. From this inner reality Goethe came up with the Metamorphosis of a Plant among other findings. Goethe's spiritual approach to the plant world, the animal world, color, and other natural phenomena inspired Steiner who found in Goethe a common spirit.
Whereas Darwin believed that the nature of the organism is, in fact, limited to those external characteristics that affect survival, and thus concluded from their variability that there is nothing constant in the life of plants, Goethe went deeper and concluded that if the outer characteristics are not constant, then what is constant must be sought in something else underlying those changeable externalities. To develop a concept of this “something else” became Goethe’s life work, while Darwin’s efforts went toward exploring and explaining in detail the causes of the organism’s variability. Both approaches are necessary and complement one an other.
In his scientific work, Goethe went on to study animal morphology (where he is credited with the discovery of the intermaxillary bone, which until then had been understood to be the only distinguishing feature between man and animal). Goethe also came up with a unique and enduring theory of color, in contrast to the work of Isaac Newton. He regularly corresponded with leading natural scientists of his day, among whom he was highly regarded. But over time, the author of Faust as well as a number of other plays, novels and poems, could not be held in any esteem scientifically by successive generations as science became more specialized and subject to prevailing theories and prejudices.
This book is an excellent introduction to principles of Goethean science which also lay the foundation for understanding Anthroposophy as it relates to natural science. In addition it's a good introduction to the writings of Rudolf Steiner. But it's interesting in it's own right, as an explanation of key principles of life and natural science.
Displaying 1 of 1 review