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 of
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
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