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Towards Social Renewal: Rethinking the Basis of Society
Although this book was first published in 1919, it remains highly relevant to social problems encountered today. Uniquely, Steiner’s social thinking is not based on intellectual theory, but on a profound perception of the archetypal spiritual nature of social life. As he suggests in this classic work, society has three distinct realms—the economic, the political (individual human rights), and the cultural (spiritual). While social life as a whole is a unity, the autonomy of these three sectors should be respected if our increasing social problems are to be resolved.
Steiner relates the ideals of “liberty, equality and fraternity” to modern society. Economics calls for fraternity, political rights require equality, while culture should be characterized by liberty. The slogans of the French Revolution, he suggests, can become truly manifest only when our social thinking is transformed to correspond to the spiritual reality.
This volume is a translation from German of Die Kernpunkte der sozialen Frage in den Lebensnotwendigkeiten der Gegenwart und Zukunft (GA 23).
Steiner relates the ideals of “liberty, equality and fraternity” to modern society. Economics calls for fraternity, political rights require equality, while culture should be characterized by liberty. The slogans of the French Revolution, he suggests, can become truly manifest only when our social thinking is transformed to correspond to the spiritual reality.
This volume is a translation from German of Die Kernpunkte der sozialen Frage in den Lebensnotwendigkeiten der Gegenwart und Zukunft (GA 23).
- GenresPolitics
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 1977
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About the author
Rudolf Steiner
4,319 books1,099 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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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 3, 2017
I get the concept of threefolding, and I get that Steiner is merely pointing out a direction society could turn towards, but I don't see how these ideas get implemented. The work that RSF Social Finance is doing is rooted in threefolding. But who else is working out of and applying these ideas? Since the change alluded to will only happen if it begins at the individual level, how do individuals work to realize threefolding within existing societal structures (since it can only arise from what exists)? Plenty to ponder. Maybe I'll invest in RSF. Wait, who am I kidding? I'm a teacher. I don't make enough to invest. Threefold that shit!
March 29, 2008
I'm reading this in a study group. Very interesting, short book that presents Steiner's model for economics. Lots of intriguing ideas too complicated for my brain to summarize here, even to give just an example. Although it was written in 1923 it is very pertinent to today's social organization. The translation is very readable, easier to understand than some other translations of Steiner I have read. That said, I do rely on my fellow study group members to hash out what he is saying and how it translates to today.
June 19, 2015
Like it says on the back of the book: "Despite being written in 1920, it still a very actual book"
I totally agree with this affirmation and I believe that everyone who works with the "social side" or is concerned with, should read this book.
Highly recommended!
I totally agree with this affirmation and I believe that everyone who works with the "social side" or is concerned with, should read this book.
Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews