The Foundations Of Human Experience

Formerly entitled The Study of Man this lecture course, newly translated for this series, contains some of the most remarkable and significant lectures ever given by Rudolf Steiner.

This lecture is part of the collection "The Foundations of Human Experience" by Rudolf Steiner. Steiner (1861-1925) was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher. At the beginning of the 20th century, he founded a spiritual movement, Anthroposophy. He is considered the father of Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical medicine and spiritual science. Feeling in relationship to willing. The nine aspects of the human being as a willing being. The expression of will as instinct in the physical body, drive in the etheric body, desire in the astral body; the absorption of will into the I as motive in the soul; as wish in Spirit Self, intent in Life Spirit and decision in Spirit Human. Psychoanalysis seeks the unconscious willing of the "second person" in us. Intellectualism as will grown old and feeling as developing will. Concerning socialist education. The formation of feeling and will in education: cultivation of feeling through unconscious repetition and cultivation of the will and strengthening the power of decision through conscious repetition. The importance of artistic activity in this connection. The entire Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner are available from SteinerBooks.

This lecture is part of the collection "The Foundations of Human Experience" by Rudolf Steiner. Steiner (1861-1925) was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher. At the beginning of the 20th century, he founded a spiritual movement, Anthroposophy. He is considered the father of Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical medicine and spiritual science. The form of the human head aspect (from within outward) compared to the form of the human limb aspect (from outside inward). The human being as a "dam" for the spirit-soul. The absorptive tendency of the spirit-soul process. The creation of superfluous matter (formation of fat) by the chest-digestive system; how this matter is consumed by the spirit-soul working through the limbs. The pooling of the spirit-soul in the head and its coursing along the nerve paths. The opacity of living organic matter to the spirit and the transparency of the physically dead skeletal and nervous system to the spirit. The overabundance of spiritual activity in physical work and of bodily activity in mental work. Purposeful and senseless activity and its effects upon sleep; calisthenics and eurythmy in this context. Extreme sports as "practical Darwinism." Insomnia as a result of too much spirit-soul activity and drowsiness as a result of too much physical work. The senselessness of cramming for exams. Healthy and unhealthy kinds of thinking activity. Importance of spiritualizing external work for teaching and social life and importance of bringing blood to inner work for teaching and health. The entire Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner are available from SteinerBooks.