Man in the Past, Present, and Future; The Evolution of Consciousness

The following lectures were given by Rudolf Steiner shortly after his visit to Great Britain in August, 1923, and continue the theme of the evolution of consciousness which had been the subject of the lecture-course in Penmaenmawr, North Wales. [The course consisted of 13 lectures, a revised translation of which is in preparation (1966)] Particular reference to Druidic culture had been made during the course and the fourth lecture in the present volume has been included for that reason.

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In connection with the publication of reports of lectures which were given as oral communications and not originally intended for print, Rudolf Steiner constantly emphasized the distinction between such reports on the one hand and his written works on the other. He reminded readers that certain premises were taken for granted when the words were spoken. “These premises,” he wrote, “include at the very least the anthroposophical knowledge of Man and of the Cosmos in its spiritual essence; also what may be called ‘anthroposophical history,’ told as an outcome of research into the spiritual world.”

A brief list of anthroposophical literature will be found at the end of this volume, together with a summarised plan of the Complete Centenary Edition of Rudolf Steiner's works in the original German.