Abstract
Why does Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy provoke so much irritation? Could it be because he formulated a claim to scientific validity for anthroposophy? In the Medical Course held from October 26–28, 1922, Rudolf Steiner calls out to his listeners: “And in order to comprehend science in the sense of spiritual-scientific anthroposophy in any field, it is not acceptable to disregard sensory empirical evidence, but rather it is necessary to take this sensory empirical evidence into account. …What one initially gains from spiritual science are guidelines for empirical research” (Steiner, 1922, GA 314).
Steiner not only explored and prepared immense fields in his own spiritual-scientific way, whose full comprehension still largely lies ahead of us. He also left us with a high demand: in both realms—the sensory and the supersensory—it is necessary to penetrate precise perception, that is, empiricism, with cognitive understanding. Neither side nor their modes of access can be played off against one another, nor can they replace each other. They complement one another. In this respect, the training of observation and thinking as developed by the natural sciences is a good prerequisite for practicing spiritual science in Steiner’s sense. Hence his claim to scientific rigor. Some say this is difficult. Quantum physics is also difficult.
Using many biographically arranged quotations from Steiner, the essay traces his engagement with the natural sciences. The fundamental question could be seen as: how can we overcome the dualism of perception and concept? For Steiner, the solution was to discover Goethe’s way of approaching the world. Our task is to overcome once again this separation between self and world. In doing so, we can learn careful scientific observation and thinking from the natural sciences. By engaging in Goetheanistic work, we lead our dualistic consciousness back toward monism. Today, this includes, for example, taking into our consciousness and our feelings the awareness that we are one with the Earth and the cosmos. This should become our future feeling for life.
Keywords: Goetheanism, scientific rigour, empiricism, anthroposophy