INTRODUCTION
Born in Austria in 1861, Rudolf
Steiner received recognition as a
scholar when he was invited to edit the
Kürschner edition of the natural
scientific writings of Goethe. In 1891
Steiner received his Ph.D. at the
University of Rostock. He then began his work as a lecturer.
From the turn of the century until his death in 1925, he
delivered well over 6000 lectures on the Science of Spirit, or
Anthroposophy.
The lectures of Rudolf Steiner
dealt with such fundamental matters as the being of
man, the nature and purpose of freedom, the meaning of
evolution, man's relation to nature, and the life after death
and before birth. On these and similar subjects,
Steiner had unexpectedly new,
inspiring and thought-provoking things to say. Through a
study of the transcripts of lectures like those contained in
this book, one can come to a clear, reasonable, comprehensive
understanding of the human being and his place in the
universe.
In all his years of writing and lecturing,
Steiner made no appeal to emotionalism or
sectarianism in his readers or hearers. His profound respect
for the freedom of every man shines through everything he
produced. The slightest compulsion or persuasion he
considered an affront to the dignity and ability of the human
being. Therefore he confined himself to objective
statements in his writing and speaking, leaving his readers and
hearers entirely free to reject or accept his words. He
addressed the healthy, sound judgment and good will in each
person, confident of the response in those who come to meet his
ideas with the willingness to
understand them.
Among the many activities springing from the work of
Rudolf Steiner are the Bio-Dynamic
Farming and Gardening Association which aims at improved
nutrition resulting from methods of agriculture outlined by
Rudolf Steiner; the art of
Eurythmy, created and described by him as
“visible speech and visible
song;” the medical and
pharmaceutical work carried out by the Clinical and
Therapeutical Institute at Arlesheim,
Switzerland, with related institutions in other
countries; the Homes for the education and care of mentally
retarded children; and new directions for work in such fields
as Mathematics, Physics, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture,
Music, Drama, Speech Formation, Social Studies,
Astronomy, Economics and Psychology.
The success of Rudolf Steiner
Education (sometimes referred to as Waldorf
Education) has proven the correctness of Steiner's concept of
the way to prepare the child for his or her eventual role as a
resourceful, creative, responsible member of modern adult
society.
The transcripts of Rudolf Steiner's many lectures on a
wide variety of subjects are a storehouse of spiritual
knowledge as it can become fruitful in many fields of
modern life. However, Steiner
himself stressed that his lectures were not intended for
print, and are not a substitute for what he expressed in
his written works on the Science of Spirit or Anthroposophy.
Therefore, if the reader finds the following lectures of
interest, or if they arouse questions and points upon which he
wishes further clarification, he is certain to find the latter
in the fundamental books included in the series of Major
Writings of Rudolf Steiner listed
at the end of the present volume.
— The Publishers
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