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

by Rudolf Steiner, Peter Clemm (Translator)

Overview

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 Goethe's Theory of Knowledge, Steiner lays out his argument for this view and, moreover, begins his explication of how one goes beyond thinking to observation of thinking itself. This is valuable reading for an essential understanding of the foundations underlying Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy.

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. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being." As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal "spiritual science" that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world.

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