Polarities In The Evolution Of Humanity

Steiner unfolds here the spiritual background to many social questions around the theme of the polarities of West and East, materialism and mysticism, knowledge and belief.He makes visible the forces of decline active in modern civilization, and how these threes are trying to wrest human destiny from the active participation of human beings. He presents with profound poignancy how Christ is pouring a new spirit into human evolution.

'The present age needs to understand that human beings must hold the balance between the two extremes, between the ahrimanic and the luciferic poles. People always tend to go in one direction... The Christ stands in the middle, holding the balance.'– Rudolf Steiner These eleven lectures were given in post-war Stuttgart against a backdrop of struggle and uncertainty – not only within society at large but also within the anthroposophical movement. Rudolf Steiner and his supporters were working to introduce 'threefold' social ideas and – given Steiner's public profile – were coming under increasing personal and sometimes physical attack. Steiner responds to this turbulent situation by revealing the spiritual background to the forces of decline working in contemporary civilization. He speaks of retrogressive powers – spiritual beings referred to as luciferic or ahrimanic – that work directly into human culture, manifesting, for example, in what he refers to as the 'initiation streams' of Western secret societies, the Church-allied impulse of Jesuitism and the Bolshevik force of Leninism. The spiritual agents of adversity also encourage polarised thinking and false opposites such as East verses West, materialism and mysticism, or knowledge and belief. Only the threefold principle – represented by Christ – allows us to create a balance in the midst of these existential conflicts. This freshly-reworked translation is complemented with notes, an index and an introduction by Matthew Barton.

‘The present age needs to understand that human beings must hold the balance between the two extremes, between the ahrimanic and the luciferic poles. People always tend to go in one direction... The Christ stands in the middle, holding the balance.’ – Rudolf Steiner These eleven lectures were given in post-war Stuttgart against a backdrop of struggle and uncertainty – not only within society at large but also within the anthroposophical movement. Rudolf Steiner and his supporters were working to introduce ‘threefold’ social ideas and – given Steiner’s public profile – were coming under increasing personal and sometimes physical attack. Steiner responds to this turbulent situation by revealing the spiritual background to the forces of decline working in contemporary civilization. He speaks of retrogressive powers – spiritual beings referred to as luciferic or ahrimanic – that work directly into human culture, manifesting, for example, in what he refers to as the ‘initiation streams’ of Western secret societies, the Church-allied impulse of Jesuitism and the Bolshevik force of Lenin­ism. The spiritual agents of adversity also encourage polarised thinking and false opposites such as East verses West, materialism and mysticism, or knowledge and belief. Only the threefold principle – represented by Christ – allows us to create a balance in the midst of these existential conflicts. This freshly-reworked translation is complemented with notes, an index and an introduction by Matthew Barton.

" ... a major work ... an intellectual and cultural tour de force. [Loutzenhiser's] range in the world of the metaphysicians is sure. [His] sections on the arts [are] most penetrating and offer original ideas and insights." -Edward Bruce Bynum, author of The African Unconscious, Director of Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Amherst "I was impressed with the range of issues and thinkers covered ... It is a rare thinker who can find the thread that connects hegelian phenomenology, transpersonal psychology, holonic theory, the chakra system, the [prose] of Jack Kerouac and the music of Sun Ra." -Samuel Oluoch Imbo, author of An Introduction to African Philosophy " ... thought-provoking ... thoroughgoing " -Nikitah Okembe-ra Imani, associate professor of Sociology-Africentric Critical Studies, James Madison University " ... brilliant and intriguing ideas. [Loutzenhiser's] mind is amazing, vigorous and rich." -John Davis, professor of Transpersonal Psychology, Naropa University " ... important." -Molefi Kete Asante, author of The Afrocentric Idea

Updated and rewritten version of first edition, published under title: Human evolution: trails from the past (Oxford biology) / Camilo J. Cela-Conde and Francisco J. Ayala. 2007.