Lecture 1
Effects of Modern Agnosticism
Summary of a Lecture
Stuttgart, 29 August 1921
In the course of eight lectures given at the recent
Congress at Stuttgart, Rudolf Steiner explained what effect the agnosticism
of the last century had upon the whole life of humanity today. As a
result of natural science agnosticism taught that humanity was only
able to spin round the world a web of ‘causality’. What
lies at the back, what is unknown, what cannot be reached by our senses — all
this must for ever remain hidden from human wisdom; and most especially
does everything psycho-spiritual withdraw itself from the reach of knowledge.
Agnosticism has seized hold
of science, education and social life, and it affects millions of men
who very often are quite unaware of the fact. It then lays hold of the
realm of ideas, separating this from the world of true reality upon
which alone humanity should have its stand; thus creating an inner division
which weakens the soul forces of men. Through this division, licence
is given to all the lower instincts, as we can recognize to be prominently
the case in the world today. The realm of feeling also becomes unsatisfied;
unfertilized by ideas it degenerates, hardens and becomes sentimental,
or else it is engulfed in the life of elementary instincts. This shows
itself particularly in art, which is either sweetly unreal or else is
naturalistic. True art creates its own style, and true style can only
come from men's supersensible experiences. Agnosticism robs us
of the truths which must live in art.
Upon our will power, also,
it has had an evil influence, for it has killed moral impulses and has
allowed what is instinctive to become master. Thus do we find today
that thinking is lax, feeling is dulled, and willing is made void through
disbelief; and, as a result, what is animal in man rises to the surface.
In the religious life also men feel a void, and seek support in organized
streams like that of the Catholic Church, or else in some oriental direction.
These, however, can no longer give to men the right content because
they have their life in past ages.
In modern industry we can
see an immediate effect of scientific thought. Here men do not live
within what they practise. Modern systems of labour consist in ruling
out the human side of man and making him into a machine.
Void also today as a fruit
of disbelief are all social impulses, and all these facts work back
on men and have led them to a certain ‘easy-going’ condition
of their social life.
If one wishes to compare
or contrast the ascending with the declining powers of the day, one
observes that the life of expression is not sufficiently active and
does not carry on with enthusiasm what is required. People would rather
not take up any new piece of work; they prefer asking if its need is
already established, rather than trying to prove its worth in life.
In the world of education,
teachers try to place things before children in such a way that they
need not be altered when the children grow up. But what is presented
to children should be so given that it develops with the child during
the course of its life.
It is in these facts that
we can see how the seeds of agnosticism bear fruit in the life of man.
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