Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistomology of His Worldview

Written 1884-1885; first published 1886 (CW 2)

"Goethe's Theory of Knowledge was Steiner's first book. It is a remarkable performance, communicating the white heat, passion, and intensity of thinking that only youth's vitality can summon. 'One can write in such a seminal way only at the beginning of one's path of knowledge, ' as he says. Reintroducing it forty years later, he could say with confidence that 'as a theory of knowledge it seems to form the justification for everything I have said and published since then.' In other words, by means of the path of thinking laid down here, Steiner began the process of breaking the ground in which the seeds of spiritual science, which he would be called upon to inaugurate, could germinate." -- Christopher Bamford (introduction)

As the editor of Goethe's scientific writings during the 1880s, Rudolf Steiner became immersed in a worldview that paralleled and amplified his own views in relation to epistemology, the interface between science and philosophy, the theory of how we know the world and ourselves. At the time, like much of the thinking today and the foundation of modern natural science, the predominant theories held that individual knowledge is limited to thinking that reflects objective, sensory perception. Steiner's view was eventually distilled in his Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts in 1924: "There are those who believe that, with the limits of knowledge derived from sensory perception, the limits of all insight are given. Yet if they would carefully observe how they become conscious of these limits, they would find in the very consciousness of the limits the faculties to transcend them."

In this concise volume, Steiner lays out his argument for this view and, moreover, begins his explication of how one goes beyond thinking to the observation of thinking itself.

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge is essential reading for a deeper understanding of Rudolf Steiner's seminal work, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path: A Philosophy of Freedom.

This volume is a translation from the German of Grundlinien einer Erkenntnistheorie der Goetheschen Weltanschauung, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Schiller (GA 2). Previous translations were published as The Science of Knowing (1988) and The Theory of Knowledge implicit in Goethe's World-Conception: Fundamental Outlines with Special Reference to Schiller (1940).

1118600994
Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistomology of His Worldview

Written 1884-1885; first published 1886 (CW 2)

"Goethe's Theory of Knowledge was Steiner's first book. It is a remarkable performance, communicating the white heat, passion, and intensity of thinking that only youth's vitality can summon. 'One can write in such a seminal way only at the beginning of one's path of knowledge, ' as he says. Reintroducing it forty years later, he could say with confidence that 'as a theory of knowledge it seems to form the justification for everything I have said and published since then.' In other words, by means of the path of thinking laid down here, Steiner began the process of breaking the ground in which the seeds of spiritual science, which he would be called upon to inaugurate, could germinate." -- Christopher Bamford (introduction)

As the editor of Goethe's scientific writings during the 1880s, Rudolf Steiner became immersed in a worldview that paralleled and amplified his own views in relation to epistemology, the interface between science and philosophy, the theory of how we know the world and ourselves. At the time, like much of the thinking today and the foundation of modern natural science, the predominant theories held that individual knowledge is limited to thinking that reflects objective, sensory perception. Steiner's view was eventually distilled in his Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts in 1924: "There are those who believe that, with the limits of knowledge derived from sensory perception, the limits of all insight are given. Yet if they would carefully observe how they become conscious of these limits, they would find in the very consciousness of the limits the faculties to transcend them."

In this concise volume, Steiner lays out his argument for this view and, moreover, begins his explication of how one goes beyond thinking to the observation of thinking itself.

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge is essential reading for a deeper understanding of Rudolf Steiner's seminal work, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path: A Philosophy of Freedom.

This volume is a translation from the German of Grundlinien einer Erkenntnistheorie der Goetheschen Weltanschauung, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Schiller (GA 2). Previous translations were published as The Science of Knowing (1988) and The Theory of Knowledge implicit in Goethe's World-Conception: Fundamental Outlines with Special Reference to Schiller (1940).

20.0 Out Of Stock
Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistomology of His Worldview

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistomology of His Worldview

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistomology of His Worldview

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the Epistomology of His Worldview

Paperback

$20.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

Written 1884-1885; first published 1886 (CW 2)

"Goethe's Theory of Knowledge was Steiner's first book. It is a remarkable performance, communicating the white heat, passion, and intensity of thinking that only youth's vitality can summon. 'One can write in such a seminal way only at the beginning of one's path of knowledge, ' as he says. Reintroducing it forty years later, he could say with confidence that 'as a theory of knowledge it seems to form the justification for everything I have said and published since then.' In other words, by means of the path of thinking laid down here, Steiner began the process of breaking the ground in which the seeds of spiritual science, which he would be called upon to inaugurate, could germinate." -- Christopher Bamford (introduction)

As the editor of Goethe's scientific writings during the 1880s, Rudolf Steiner became immersed in a worldview that paralleled and amplified his own views in relation to epistemology, the interface between science and philosophy, the theory of how we know the world and ourselves. At the time, like much of the thinking today and the foundation of modern natural science, the predominant theories held that individual knowledge is limited to thinking that reflects objective, sensory perception. Steiner's view was eventually distilled in his Anthroposophical Leading Thoughts in 1924: "There are those who believe that, with the limits of knowledge derived from sensory perception, the limits of all insight are given. Yet if they would carefully observe how they become conscious of these limits, they would find in the very consciousness of the limits the faculties to transcend them."

In this concise volume, Steiner lays out his argument for this view and, moreover, begins his explication of how one goes beyond thinking to the observation of thinking itself.

Goethe's Theory of Knowledge is essential reading for a deeper understanding of Rudolf Steiner's seminal work, Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path: A Philosophy of Freedom.

This volume is a translation from the German of Grundlinien einer Erkenntnistheorie der Goetheschen Weltanschauung, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Schiller (GA 2). Previous translations were published as The Science of Knowing (1988) and The Theory of Knowledge implicit in Goethe's World-Conception: Fundamental Outlines with Special Reference to Schiller (1940).


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780880106238
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Pr
Publication date: 07/28/2008
Series: The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner , #2
Pages: 156
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.

Christopher Bamford (1943-2022) was born in Cardiff, South Wales, and lived for a while in Hungary and then in Scotland. He studied as an undergraduate at Trinity University in Dublin and earned his master's degree at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. For nearly thirty years, he was Editor in Chief at SteinerBooks (Anthroposophic Press) and its imprints. A Fellow of the Lindisfarne Association, he lectured, taught, and wrote widely on Western spiritual and esoteric traditions. His books include a selection of his numerous introductions, Encountering Rudolf Steiner: Introductions to Essential Works (2022); Healing Madonnas: Exploring the Sequence of Madonna Images Created by Rudolf Steiner and Felix Peipers for Use in Therapy and Meditation (2017); An Endless Trace: The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom in the West (2003); and The Voice of the Eagle: The Heart of Celtic Christianity (1990). He also translated and edited numerous books, including Homage to Pythagoras: Rediscovering Sacred Science (2001); The Noble Traveller: The Life and Writings of O. V. de L. Milosz (1984); and Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness (1982). Essays by Mr. Bamford are included in The Best Spiritual Writing 2000 ("In the Presence of Death") and The Best American Spiritual Writing 2005 ("The Gift of the Call"). Christopher passed over the threshold on May 13, 2022, at his Mt. Washington, Massachusetts home.

Table of Contents

Introduction Christopher Bamford vii

Preface to the Edition of 1924 Rudolf Steiner 1

Foreword to the First Edition (1886) Rudolf Steiner 5

A Preliminary Questions

1 The Point of Departure 7

2 Goethe's Science According to Schiller's Method 13

3 The Purpose of Our Science 15

B Experience

4 Establishing the Concept of Experience 16

5 Examining the Essence of Experience 19

6 Correcting the Erroneous View of Experience as a Totality 23

7 The Experience of Each Individual Reader 26

C Thinking

8 Thinking as a Higher Experience within Experience 29

9 Thinking and Consciousness 34

10 The Inner Nature of Thinking 38

D Knowledge

11 Thought and Perception 44

12 Intellect and Reason 49

13 The Act of Cognition 54

14 Cognition and the Ultimate Ground of Things 59

E Knowing Nature

15 Inorganic Nature 62

16 Organic Nature 70

F The Humanities

17 Introduction: Mind and Nature 83

18 Psychological Cognition 86

19 Human Freedom 90

20 Optimism and Pessimism 94

G Conclusion

21 Knowledge and Artistic Creation 96

Notes to the First Edition [1886] 99

Annotations to the Edition of 1924 101

Reference Notes 107

Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works 119

Significant Events in the Life of Rudolf Steiner 135

Index 149

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews