The Rudolf Steiner Archive

12. Spiritual Science as an Essential in Life

[ 1 ] I would like to conclude this winter’s lecture series this evening with a reflection on the significance of the humanities for human life.

[ 2 ] It had, after all, been pointed out on several occasions during this lecture series that spiritual science does not merely seek to be a theory about the world that one accepts or rejects like other theories, but that spiritual science hopes to be a truly new element of life—something that can penetrate the whole human being, the constitution of the whole human being, the, one might say, “world-attitude” of the whole human being, and that through such permeation by spiritual science, the human being gains a genuine source of life from it. What has already been hinted at in this regard in the relevant passages of the individual lectures is to be not only summarized today, but also examined in somewhat greater detail.

[ 3 ] Throughout this winter’s lectures, it has been pointed out time and again that spiritual research is based on something entirely different from any other form of research, especially any other form of research in our time. It was mentioned that in any other form of research—indeed, in every activity of the human soul in life—what matters above all is that the human being develops his powers of judgment and his powers of will, as he possesses them, and applies them directly. When we face life, we are compelled to appeal directly to our judgment in order to make a decision in one sense or another; and on the other hand, when we face life in such a way that our will is called upon, we can only apply the strength of will that we have developed through our normal upbringing. In short, at every moment of ordinary life—and also of ordinary science—we are compelled to accept ourselves just as we are.

[ 4 ] In contrast, spiritual science actually stands in a completely different light. And it is precisely the fact that it is so different in this regard that creates an abundance of opponents and adversaries for it in our time. The spiritual researcher cannot simply accept himself as he is. I emphasized this particularly in my description of life between death and a new birth. What we otherwise apply directly to the external world in life—what we must, so to speak, immediately unfold and apply to the external world in the very moment through our power of judgment, our will, and other soul impulses in order to make decisions about it or to influence it—the spiritual researcher initially uses as a kind of preparation for the level of insight that he is to attain only after this preparation. The maturity of judgment and the strength of the will are not initially applied outwardly—not in such a way that we make immediate decisions or carry out acts of the will—but rather they are applied in a spiritual process such that the spiritual researcher uses the inner technique, the inner handling of the powers of judgment, to advance his soul, making it ever more mature. And the will is exercised in such a way that the soul can develop toward a different perspective than the one from which one is already operating. One could therefore say: What is otherwise applied directly to the world—in spiritual research it is applied as preparation for what is to be attained only after this preparation. What matters is that the soul transform itself into a different instrument of knowledge and will than it initially is. Hence, too, that attitude with which the spiritual researcher approaches knowledge—and of which I have already spoken in these lectures—that attitude expressed in the fact that he actually always has the feeling: What you have otherwise applied directly to judge things—now you must withdraw it from the external world in order to advance yourself; now you must wait until your soul has matured enough to allow the knowledge of truth to come to you.

[ 5 ] Thus, what would otherwise, as it were, flow outward from our soul is first directed toward the work on the soul itself. This, however, instills in the human being a mood of activity, a mood of inner engagement—not that mood of simply accepting the world or surrendering to it—and thereby awakens within the soul the forces that might be called the soul’s new powers of activity.

[ 6 ] And then we saw something else that can be said to further reinforce and confirm what has just been said: that everything initially available to human beings in the form of external sensory perceptions or thoughts and images bound to the brain cannot provide spiritual science with any powers of cognition, but that spiritual science must first appeal to the awakening of powers that otherwise remain dormant in the soul. I have pointed out that the kind of insight that can truly be called clairvoyant in the genuine sense is based on the fact that, at every moment, the spiritual scientist must immerse himself in the processes and things he wishes to perceive, and that what he wishes to perceive and recognize immediately vanishes if he does not immerse himself with his entire active soul. We passively surrender ourselves to an external color or an external sound; they act upon us. What we wish to perceive in the spiritual world can only be perceived through active engagement. The moment we confront things and beings in the spiritual world with a passive soul, what we have perceived would vanish or turn into hallucinations or illusions—if it were still there at all. Not for a single moment must the soul rest in the spiritual realm.

[ 7 ] If we consider that the soul can only ascend to the levels of spiritual knowledge—which I have described in my Occult Science and in How Does One Attain Knowledge of Higher Worlds? —namely, the stages of imaginative, inspired, and intuitive cognition—only by continually developing inner activity, then we will realize that spiritual scientific research can provide people only with insights that also require a special kind of understanding. I have pointed out repeatedly that one does not need to be a spiritual researcher oneself in order to understand what the spiritual researcher explores in the spiritual worlds, although the books mentioned show that in our time, to a certain extent, anyone can become a spiritual researcher. For there is in every soul an immediate, secret language through which it can understand what the spiritual researcher says, even if it cannot engage in spiritual research itself—just as one can understand a painting even if one is not a painter. But even to attain this understanding, the soul of modern humanity must first bring itself to do so; for nothing is more natural to modern humanity than to say: “The truth must come to me; I must remain passive toward it; it must be given to me!” One feels downright uncertain when one is first required to do something, when one must first cultivate the soul in order to recognize the truth. Therefore, it is very easy to object to the spiritual researcher: “You are establishing concepts of truth that are not like the concepts of truth in external life or external science; and these concepts of truth say: I believe what is confirmed to me by the facts, what I allow to be revealed to me, so to speak, through the facts.”

[ 8 ] Many years ago, I took the liberty of calling this way of approaching knowledge and life, on the one hand, “fanaticism of facts.” On the other hand, there is a certain dogmatism to which one surrenders—a dogmatism of facts—which, for the soul, means exactly the same thing, even if it lies in a different realm than any other dogmatism. One feels, so to speak, that one lacks inner strength—I would say, the momentum and sustaining power—to grasp the truth, to allow the truth to be present in the soul, if one no longer feels guided by the leash of external facts or the external science that describes these facts. Spiritual science, however, because it deals with things and processes that do not belong to the realm of ordinary life, necessitates that one strive toward an understanding that is not tethered to external facts and that does not submit to a dogmatism of facts, but rather one that intuitively senses the light of truth shining within an inner, spiritual experience. An inner grasp of living truth is what the modern soul must first accustom itself to. One might even say: the modern soul is incapable of rousing itself to develop those strong inner forces necessary not to have the truth dictated to it, but to experience it directly. This feeling, however, is necessary if the findings of spiritual science are to be examined and understood by souls. But if one brings oneself to such an inner experience of truth, then spiritual science becomes immediately comprehensible to every soul. For what some people raise against spiritual science—that here or there, somewhere in the realm of natural science or historical science, there is something of which one might say, “This surely proves that the so-called truths of spiritual science are errors or fantasies”—does not actually speak against spiritual science. There is nothing within the entire scope of knowledge derived from the natural sciences or the historical sciences that is not in complete harmony with the insights of spiritual science. This has been emphasized many times in these lectures. But those who first become accustomed to scientific thinking—and likewise to historical thinking—develop certain habits of thought; they absorb prejudices, as it were, and it is these prejudices that must first be overcome. Opposition to the humanities arises not from the judgments of science, but from these prejudices. And when one considers what has been said in the lectures held here—that spiritual science creates powers of cognition that are not like passive seeing with the eyes or passive hearing with the ears, but rather like an inner gesture, like an inner listening with the soul’s physiognomy, which must therefore become an active process if the soul is to penetrate the spiritual world— then one will understand that spiritual science can only be understood if human souls gradually accustom themselves to drawing up from their depths the active soul forces—those forces that must be enlivened within the soul as free inner activities.

[ 9 ] Based on this attitude, I have so far gone out of my way to avoid—although in the future, when faced with difficult problems, it will be impossible to avoid—using illustrations or photographs to supplement these lectures in some way. The modern soul is all too inclined to passively observe things. But what spiritual science brings to light must be grasped inwardly; it must be thought through, felt, and indeed often willed and experienced. By appealing to what is indeed present in every soul but often lies dormant there, spiritual science awakens within the soul forces for spiritual life itself; forces which, when put to work for this purpose, constitute a great asset in life—an asset that human souls will need more and more. Only someone who is short-sighted could deny that human life is becoming increasingly complex, that our development in earthly existence is proceeding in such a way that more and more inner forces of orientation will be necessary to cope with life in every direction. In addition to the various other reasons that speak in favor of the introduction of spiritual science into contemporary culture, the most important one is that human souls will need to draw upon these stronger forces—simply to orient themselves externally in life—the further we move into the future. Life itself will demand these stronger forces from human souls.

[ 10 ] Of course, in a brief lecture, we cannot cover everything that spiritual science—I am not using the term “spiritual research” here—has to offer life in terms of spiritual riches through a living understanding and grasp of what spiritual research brings to light; we can only characterize the individual categories in general terms. I would like to begin by addressing what is directly related to the individual human being.

[ 11 ] I have often referred, in other contexts, to the nature of that rhythmic alternation that occurs in human life over the course of twenty-four hours: waking and sleeping. What can be said about this from the standpoint of spiritual science has, in fact, been mentioned in part in the various lectures. Today I would simply like to suggest, as it were, that in normal sleep—in addition to the immediate effect this sleep has on one’s soul state, which one can directly and subjectively experience—human beings also possess, apart from this, a healing agent of a very special kind. You need only listen to conventional medical science today, and it will—insofar as it is reasonable—certainly share the view that we have a remedy in sleep, in proper, healthy sleep. For sleep is what unfolds within the whole human being those forces that compensate for a certain daily expenditure of energy. While waking life, in a certain sense—one might say—weakens the body through states of exhaustion and fatigue, through states of physical exertion, and while ordinary waking life draws from the sources of illness—not always, of course, but it can—during sleep we are primarily dealing with the unfolding of healing forces. One need not go so far as to recommend such abundant sleep as a well-known physician recently did in Berlin; but this remains true: that healthy forces act upon a person during sleep, and that anyone who can view life from this perspective will say: Among the best remedies for many illnesses is the promotion of healthy sleep. Of course, I cannot discuss the promotion of healthy sleep in this lecture. Whether spiritual science has anything particularly special to say on this subject is a matter for another occasion. |

[ 12 ] Essentially, through what unfolds during sleep, the human being can only restore what we have used up. During sleep, as spiritual science shows and as has often been explained here, the soul is removed from the human physical body; the spiritual-soul aspect is in its own world, the spiritual world. And this different relationship of the soul to the body—as opposed to what occurs during wakefulness—is connected with the summoning of healing forces. Spiritual research, as we have seen, calls upon the human spirit and soul to become free from the bodily and the physical—for there is no other way to explore the spiritual and soul aspects. Everything that the spiritual researcher investigates is investigated outside the physical body. When he expresses what he has investigated in concepts and words, and when the human soul truly gains an understanding of what he has to say, then a very special influence will take effect upon that soul—which is not itself engaged in spiritual research but merely receives the communications with understanding. This soul will strive inwardly to summon those forces that can be called the powers of understanding for the results of spiritual research. These are forces that are more or less independent of the physical body. By using what the senses offer us—and what the intellect, which is bound to the brain, offers us—to arrive at understanding, we remain dependent on our physicality even with this understanding; we strain the body, wear it out, and allow our activity to unfold within the very sphere from which illness arises. If, on the other hand, we immerse ourselves with our understanding—but with our living understanding—in what spiritual science offers, then we live and move within the sphere of healthy forces.

[ 13 ] If this can easily be denied—of course, “easily”—and if one can say, “Well, we know many people who study the findings of the humanities and certainly do not give the impression that they live in the realm of healing forces,” then such a view may well be justified. It should by no means be portrayed as unjustified. But it must be said in response: One does not penetrate into spiritual science simply by engaging with its findings in the same way one engages with other sciences or with ordinary life. What I called “homunculism” in my last lecture can manifest itself in spiritual science just as easily as in other sciences. If one seeks to comprehend spiritual science in the same way one otherwise seeks to understand the findings of the ordinary sciences, then one does not have the proper relationship to it. Spiritual science arises from spiritual research, from the spiritual life of the spiritual researcher, from a continuous activity; and the understanding with which it is approached appeals only to a very small extent to the fatigue of the physical body—that is, to what the ordinary cognitive faculties of everyday life appeal to. Consequently, however, the truth itself—both for the spiritual researcher and for those who embrace and understand spiritual science—must become something like a living being. And so it does. Whereas one usually receives the truth as a sum of judgments, as something one merely thinks, one receives spiritual science as something that permeates the soul like spiritual blood, something that animates it from within. One receives the truth as a sum of living spiritual beings; one feels as if one were permeated by living existence through spiritual science when one truly engages with it. Then, however, it actually has a healing effect, extending even into the physical body. And just as sleep—during which the soul is, after all, outside the physical body—can be called, in the true sense of the word, a remedy for many ailments, so too can spiritual science be called such a remedy. It can be called a remedy, however, only by those who wish to truly understand the following, which is important.

[ 14 ] It is understandable: just as one approaches the external medical science or art, so too will one approach spiritual science, because one retains the same habits of thought. Often, when one seeks to delve into it, one will ask: What remedy do you have for this illness, and what for that one? And often, spiritual science is asked to provide specific remedies. Certainly, spiritual science will also reveal what the real, concrete remedies are; but one must understand that it does not merely seek to prescribe this or that remedy, but that, above all, it offers itself. Yet it is not always accepted with understanding. What spiritual science can say when asked for a healing method is this: “Take me myself, and you will feel my healing powers!” But this is inconvenient for some who are often seeking something entirely different. — Of course, it would be a trivial argument to object that spiritual science was of no help to some who studied it and who died young or were afflicted by this or that illness. For one would first have to provide a counterexample: whether someone who, with the help of spiritual science, lived to the age of 45 might not have reached only 35 or 40 without it. The methods of refutation are often not so straightforward.

[ 15 ] Above all, it must be emphasized that sleep can only restore what has been impaired or depleted in the physical body; in other words, it can essentially draw upon forces from the spiritual worlds only to the extent of the limits of the spiritual capacities that a person brings into existence at birth. Spiritual science draws its powers from the world with which the human being is spiritually connected. One can therefore say: sleep is a remedy insofar as it can restore depleted, exhausted forces. Spiritual science, either through what it is in itself or through what it is able to provide, bestows upon the human being powers that he does not already possess within himself, that are not already present in his innate capacities; it opens up to the human being a higher source of healing than ordinary, normal life—even with the best sleep—can provide. And what can thus radiate from the soul, as it were, with healing power through a living immersion in spiritual science, might be compared to what conventional medical practice is capable of, in that one might say: Even conventional medicine, when it comes down to it, can only call upon those healing powers for human recovery that are already within the person, powers that are merely suppressed by opposing forces. Spiritual science, on the other hand, brings new forces within the human being into play—forces that are only just developing, that are not yet innate; it appeals not only to the human being as a microcosm, but also to the connection between the human being as a microcosm and the great spiritual world.

[ 16 ] To illustrate this even more clearly, I would like to point out something that lies right on the border between the physical and the spiritual. Although it is certainly true that spiritual science provides people with a resource through which they can, to a certain extent, prevent illnesses that would otherwise afflict them, if one engages even a little with spiritual science, an even more significant resource for the life of the soul itself immediately catches our eye. I am referring to memory. Who among us does not lament a decline in memory as we grow older! Anyone who has even a little contact with people knows how much memory and other faculties decline as one grows older, and how much people lament this decline. The faculties with which we are endowed for our memory—drawn from the reservoir of human life as we enter existence at birth—these faculties become exhausted. And no matter how healthy one’s outward lifestyle may be, these faculties still become exhausted; and although certain external measures might improve some aspects that remain unimproved, the faculties with which we are born are nonetheless exhausted.

[ 17 ] But one will find that: if one actively takes to heart what spiritual science has to offer, and if one acquires ways of thinking and imagining that are entirely different from the usual ones, one will notice that the faculties that were once the powers of memory do indeed decline as one grows older, but that they are replaced by something that is a much better memory. Gradually, from the spiritual depths of the soul, what might be called a looking back on events emerges. Just as we normally look at things in space, so we gradually learn to look at things in time. The faculties that memory does not otherwise develop—because it usually draws on a reserve fund within the immediate physical body—remain hidden until we grow older; these hidden, slumbering faculties of memory are brought forth from the soul: powers of contemplation of the past. And through a proper immersion in spiritual science, we cultivate within ourselves over the course of our lives something that extends our ordinary, acquired memory; as a result, a person who truly embraces spiritual science in a living way remains equipped for much longer with the ability to survey the past, as well as the ability to draw guiding forces for the future from the past, compared to someone who is unwilling to engage with spiritual science. Anyone who delves into such matters in their finer distinctions will already notice how memory becomes something different—not something less reliable, but something that functions more faithfully than the memory we are born with through our physical faculties.

[ 18 ] This is what shows us—not on a day-to-day basis, but through careful observation of life—just how refreshing and invigorating the gifts of life are that can be bestowed upon the human soul by spiritual science, and much more besides. Of course, spiritual science will not be able to spiritually heal what has been physically destroyed in the body here or there. Spiritual science will never fall into a fanaticism that might be directed as fanatical opposition to external scientific medicine, as is sometimes evident in similar movements in this field; it will point out that what needs to be healed physically must also be healed physically. But the realm into which the forces of a strengthened spiritual life—such as that which can be brought about by spiritual science—can flow provides a boundless source of vitality.

[ 19 ] How is it that, given people’s materialistic outlook, precisely what is good for them in terms of health or well-being has gradually become mere dry knowledge! Not to prove anything, but merely to illustrate a point, I would like to point out how we can observe healing instincts—the sense of what is good for the organism—in animals. In humans, however, driven by the active forces linked to the brain and nervous system, we can observe a tendency to drift further and further away from a healthy life; as a result, when it comes to what is good for them, they would ultimately seek to reduce everything to external, dry knowledge. Even today, we see people who can no longer fully develop the instinct that tells them while eating, “You’ve had enough now,” but who instead have a scale next to their plate and weigh exactly how much the piece of meat they are allowed to eat weighs. This is merely a radical way of putting it; but anyone who follows these developments will see how life experiences are gradually transforming more and more into a separate, abstract body of knowledge. This is also reflected in the fact that, when it comes to their health and illness, people can no longer act on their own initiative, based on their own feelings, but instead wish to hand over responsibility for this to someone else.

[ 20 ] In this regard, spiritual science can be an extraordinarily significant asset in human life by striving to penetrate a world from which human beings seem only to have originated, but in which they still find themselves. For in truth, human beings, in their psychological and physical nature, have sprung from the spirit. And while one distances oneself from the life instincts through the part of one’s being that is bound to the brain and nervous system, one approaches living, active life again through an understanding immersion in spiritual science, so that the one who develops a living understanding of spiritual science within himself is not, of course, left to the mercy of animal instincts; but will permeate them with the spirit in such a way that he certainly will not allow himself to be dictated to by a separate, abstract body of knowledge: ‘You shall eat this, you shall drink that much, you shall go for walks, exercise, and so on’; but rather, he will come to spiritualize his instincts directly, allowing the spiritual wealth he receives through spiritual science to flow into his instincts, and thereby know: “This is how you should act in life!” One could even say: Through the knowledge bound to the brain and nervous system, human beings have distanced themselves from life; but through spiritual science, they once again imbue life with new meaning, and through this they will once again know directly: “This is good for you, this is beneficial for you, that is not good for you!” They will walk through life with certainty; they will stand firmly and purposefully within life, because they will build a bridge between the deepest foundations of life and their existence around them. And this will extend not only to health and illness, but to all of life.

[ 21 ] Let us consider: if we wish to be healthy, we must draw upon spiritual forces that are active, that rise in a vital direction. When we otherwise make judgments in life, we do so by basing our judgment on what we have seen; in doing so, our own soul remains entirely passive. And it is precisely here that conventional science, when called upon to make judgments, prides itself on not drawing the guiding forces—the driving and impetus of judgment—from within its own soul. This bringing to life of the soul’s powers of truth and judgment is the one thing that spiritual science can offer humanity as a source of life. The soul that seeks to penetrate spiritual science must increasingly accustom itself not to have judgments imposed upon it, but to judge actively, to open up an inner source of judgment within itself. Through this, it attains what one might call the skill of judgment, the inner freedom to wield the powers of judgment, and a presence of mind that springs directly from the soul when it needs to orient itself in the world or engage with it. One might foresee a gift of spiritual science that can be characterized in the following way:

[ 22 ] Let us assume that we are tasked with educating young people, and that their development is viewed in the light of spiritual science and illuminated by it. As a result, the individual will grow up in a different way—in such a way that, wherever they stand and wherever they go in life, they will be increasingly inclined to draw upon their inner source, to rely on the momentum and power of their inner judgment, to develop presence of mind, and to experience the truth inwardly. This is how they will move through life. And so people whose upbringing has been guided in the spirit of spiritual science will approach life in a completely different way than those whose upbringing has truly not been in the light of spiritual science and who must find their way in life on their own. They will instinctively feel within themselves—because their thinking will not be abstract but will permeate their feelings—that this or that is the right thing for them to begin with! How many people today, within our materialistic culture, find themselves at a loss with their lives, their thinking, and their judgments, not knowing: What am I good for? What should I do?” This will happen less and less frequently as souls familiar with spiritual science find themselves in situations where they must make decisions. They will feel that their spiritualized instincts bring them joy. This joy will not deceive them; it will be the right one, and they will find their way into life correctly.

[ 23 ] Anyone who advocates spiritual science today—if it is truly to flow from their own inner conviction—relates to it in a different way than one relates to other spiritual movements. But one does not have the right attitude toward it simply by being subjectively enthusiastic about the findings of this spiritual science and by feeling the urge to share these findings with one’s fellow human beings. For even today, when advocating spiritual science is not among life’s comforts, many might still hesitate—if one could reach the goals of spiritual science in the same way one reaches the goals of the other sciences. But one comes to speak openly about the insights of spiritual science when one recognizes how a culture—which has taken on an increasingly materialistic character, even where one does not wish to be materialistic—penetrates into souls and minds, making them ever more passive, and when, with regard to the ways in which human beings learn to orient themselves more and more in life and to place themselves within it, one recognizes how spiritual science is a necessity for life to continue. And when one recognizes how those forces that naturally and securely ground human beings in life must fade away, then what spiritual scientific knowledge is is brought to one’s lips, demanded of one; and then one wants more than what human language—which is, in many respects, unruly—has to offer, in order to show humanity how essential, for humanity’s further progress, is the gift of life that, in our time, only spiritual science can provide.

[ 24 ] And if, within our modern culture, people are less aware of what it actually means to be completely subject to a dogmatism of facts—to be entirely dependent on the specialization in science brought about by this fanaticism for facts—then perhaps one can understand what it means that the science of the spirit leads people to develop inner elasticity, inner agility, inner flexibility, vitality in their power of judgment—and thereby to become what one might call an inwardly free human being, who can position himself in life in such a way that he grasps the very source of life itself, through the connection between the essence of his soul and the primal forces of existence. It will become increasingly necessary for humanity to develop inner elasticity—inner gymnastics, as it were—if I may use the expression: an inner “dance” of the powers of judgment in subtle inner activity. This is a vital asset that spiritual science will have to bring to humanity. A way of thinking that carries the power of truth within itself—which humanity will need in the face of an increasingly complex future—is a vital asset that spiritual science can offer humanity. And for this very reason, people will have to accustom themselves to developing an understanding of what can only be grasped inwardly, because through spiritual science they thus ally themselves with the truth that is alive within—a truth that cannot be forced upon them from the outside for the sake of judgment, but is animated by the living power of truth, just as the organism is animated from within by the living power of the blood. And just as the organism is animated by the living power of the blood and, through it, maintains the proper balance in its breathing relationship with the external world, so spiritual science will give human beings the ability to be permeated by the truth that lives within—as by a spiritual-soul heart—which breathes in the surrounding world wherever the spiritual must be inhaled, in order to make the soul so healthy, capable, and strong that it can counter the inner breath with that which makes it a free inner organic force—the force that pulses in the blood.

[ 25 ] One might say: In the present, people are unable to believe in this spiritual breathing. In the future, people will be able to believe in the inner heart as the source of spiritual breathing and thereby develop human freedom for the soul. Just as what a human being is as a living being can only be developed by not merely breathing in the air of the atmosphere in a living way, but by transforming it in a living way and, in a subtle manner, developing a separate living organism—physically—so, spiritually, the human being will develop more and more inner, soul-blood that enlivens him, and it is precisely through this activity—and through the transformation of external knowledge and insight—that the human being becomes a truly free being.

[ 26 ] And when we look from the side of cognition to the side of the will, we must bear in mind that spiritual science brings to the human being concepts, ideas, and the results of spiritual research that, in a sense, live freely in the soul—so freely that they are independent of the soul itself, of the external physical body, and also of drives and external impressions. How, then, does a person act under ordinary circumstances? They act in response to external impressions or external impulses. Spiritual science has nothing to do with what is connected to the external organism. It fills the person with what dwells only within the organism—that which originates from the spiritual world and not directly from the organism. Human beings are increasingly losing the ability to act in response to external impulses and external sensations; but what they receive from spiritual science provides them with inner forces, so that they are moved to act from within. This has a significant impact on human life.

[ 27 ] What force, then, can prompt us to act if not the demands of the external world, which provide the impulses for action? What impulses, then, can be at work?

[ 28 ] A brief reflection will show that it must be a comprehensive impulse that penetrates the soul by filling it with a comprehensively acting force: this is the impulse of love, which flows directly from the soul, but flows directly from it only when the soul is driven by inner impulses. Spiritual science—and an understanding of spiritual science—will provide human beings with a treasure of immeasurable value: an ever-freer inclination toward their actions, which alone can enliven the power of action when the impulses are spiritual, and thus become the power of love.

[ 29 ] I have often said this in these lectures: Spiritual science is life’s great school of love. Not that the Science of the Spirit wants to talk about love at every opportunity. This constant talk of love—love again and again—reminds one first of Schopenhauer’s words: “It is easy to preach morality, but difficult to justify it,” but also of something else. When one hears nothing but talk of love! Love! Love! — when one hears that associations are being founded that want to preach love—the science of the spirit may perhaps sometimes describe things in radical terms; but it will be possible to figure out what is meant in each case—then it seems to one just like the story of the well-meaning fools who wanted to scoop up the light into sacks and pour it into their houses. But that is not how love is poured into the soul. The human soul is similar to a stove that doesn’t need to be persuaded to warm the room, since that is its very purpose; it does so of its own accord when we put wood into it and light it. Perhaps someone might say: you can’t even tell by looking at the wood that it gives off heat. And yet there is heat! By placing the wood—which looks quite different—into the stove and lighting it, we bring warmth into our home. By becoming accustomed to the concepts of spiritual science, we accustom ourselves to free judgment and to the ability to orient ourselves freely in the world. By thereby enriching our memory, we bring into our soul the impulses of human capacity for love and accustom ourselves to them. And just as surely as warmth is generated in a house when wood is used properly, so surely is love—active, practical love for humanity that can truly help—kindled by those impulses that enter the soul through spiritual science. Concepts of spiritual science are the fuel of the soul for love.

[ 30 ] Certainly, there are many objections that could be raised here as well. Above all, one might object that, in their view, some people do not find enough love in those who are engaged in spiritual science. But one must rise above this and recognize that something which, here or there, might appear to be lacking in love, may in fact be quite loving after all. For example, if someone, out of a misguided instinct or pure selfishness, causes this or that unpleasant situation, and is rebuked out of a healthy instinct, this can be a better expression of love than many a word that might be “loving” in such a moment, but would serve no purpose other than to worsen the condition from which the person in question committed this or that error. — But this is what true, genuine experience will reveal: that no one who immerses themselves in spiritual science remains unaffected by its influence with regard to the unfolding of love.

[ 31 ] Spiritual science will have a remarkable impact on life, particularly in the moral realm, in the realm of helping others and human effectiveness. It will not act like external means intended to deter people from this or that. It will act differently, working quietly within the soul—but within the soul of each individual—so that he or she may find the right paths of loving action. Spiritual science will act like conscience, just as the inner voice of conscience may not punish externally, yet serves as a guide to the soul all the more surely. Anyone who immerses themselves in the concepts of spiritual science will experience that, wherever they do wrong in the true sense of the word, spiritual science has placed a force within them that acts as a strengthening of the conscience, correcting and guiding life in the right direction. And so spiritual science will not exert its best influence in the moral realm through programs, through external associations, or through the usual methods employed when one wishes to spread this or that; rather, it will exert its influence, so to speak, by becoming integrated into culture, like the moral conscience that walks among humanity. In the elevation of moral conscientiousness that will take root in every soul that immerses itself in spiritual science, a vital asset will be bestowed upon modern culture as a whole, provided that spiritual science finds understanding.

[ 32 ] If one views it in this way, one will be able to gain an understanding of what it can be for the healthy—physically and morally healthy—revitalization of the human soul, and for the liberation and free development of that human soul. One will no longer deny that, in both physical and moral terms, it can be an unlimited source of life—a source of life that will be sorely needed, as I have often mentioned, and into which one will find oneself compelled to immerse oneself more and more in the future— a source of life that will be able to shine and invigorate human beings above all because it seeks to be understood from within; because it does not, as it were, approach human beings from the outside, but rather connects inwardly with their soul; because it does not impart external knowledge, but rather transforms the soul into something that is truly worthy of that soul. Once this is understood—and it will gradually be understood—then spiritual science will be viewed with less hostility by those who still regard it with great, great hostility today. Today it is still quite understandable when people come with their materialistically colored knowledge and say: Knowledge that enlivens and sustains a person can also be gained by directing one’s gaze toward the external world; that is where one gains true knowledge. That is certainly true. But let us take a look—not merely theoretically, but in a way that is full of life—and see: spiritual science provides this life-giving knowledge everywhere; and let us contrast this with what a materialistically colored worldview can offer human beings.

[ 33 ] Those people who are still constructing such a materialistic-atomistic worldview for themselves—who, so to speak, stand at its very origin—are still engaging their souls in the process. Haeckel himself, Ostwald, his closest students, and others are still actively engaged in this; they can still develop inner forces, and one could compare what they work out for themselves internally through their science with what is gained through spiritual science, which appeals to the inner soul forces of the human being. But for those who are no longer at the forefront of the development of such materialistic worldviews, or who passively adopt such a worldview, what the materialistic worldview does to the soul is like food that is not digested—food that cannot develop the forces that must be developed, the forces for which the soul truly hungers. After all, one can also stave off hunger without actually eating. It is possible. But what hunger signifies cannot be alleviated for the physical organism without food. In the same way, one can stifle the soul’s hunger for spiritual nourishment by spoiling the appetite for spiritual life through a materialistic worldview. But in the long run, this is not sustainable for the human soul.

[ 34 ] This is not the place to discuss truth and error in spiritualism. It certainly contains more than a few grains of truth—it is not merely error, fraud, or the like. I would simply like to point out that those who adhere to a materialistic worldview apparently do not approve of this spiritualism. If one thinks of it in this way—with a mode of thinking that is not inwardly enlivened—then one can only say that the materialistic worldview is just as far removed from spiritualism as it is from spiritual science. But if one truly looks into the evolution of the world, then one knows something quite different. Then one knows that the soul’s hunger for spiritual nourishment cannot be stifled, and that it is the materialists who give rise to spiritualism! Spiritual science is opposed from the materialist side. But one will see that wherever efforts succeed in preventing spiritual science from flourishing, spiritualist societies and circles form! The fathers of spiritualism are the philosophers and those with materialistic worldviews. With a mindset that thinks only in abstract terms, one fails to see this connection. There, one makes the same error in thinking as the person who says: “I intend to raise the child who has just been born to be a truly good son; I’m making all the necessary preparations.” But the son will by no means always turn out the way the father had imagined; under certain circumstances, he may turn out to be quite a terrible brat. The ideas that materialists form about the interconnections of the world have nothing to do with living reality. And so it may happen that they bring forth the “son”—the brat—whom they themselves do not recognize as such a son. For Spiritism is the son of Materialism. Why is that so? Because the soul’s appetite for spiritual life cannot satisfy its hunger, and it ultimately comes to pass as the physicist or chemist does, where the external events of life are demonstrated, where the “spirit” is to be demonstrated without inner participation. That is more convenient than having to make an inner effort at every moment when one is supposed to ascend to the spirit. But this is nothing other than a search for the very same worldview that materialism produces. — I cite this merely as an example of how abstract thinking creeps into life. Such thinking will, of course, believe that materialism cannot give rise to spiritualism. How could it! On the other hand, a way of thinking that possesses inner vitality and strength in the sphere of truth will perceive the world in an entirely different sense, and through such thinking, a person will be able to position themselves in the world quite differently than through abstract, lifeless thinking, which is nothing more than “homunculism,” as was explained last time.

[ 35 ] Thus we see that spiritual science can truly be described as a sum of life’s blessings. Admittedly, those who believe that life is exhausted in mere external goods will not consider what has been said to be of such infinite value. But anyone who knows how even external goods depend on the soul’s inner sense of orientation in the world and on the soul’s own healing powers will not find it far-fetched to suggest—with regard to all social conditions and what today serves as the cause of so many “cures”—which are, after all, nothing but external cures and can lead to nothing other than external measures—will not find it daring to suggest that such conditions can only be properly understood, and that the right remedies for them can only be found, when people rise to the level of spiritual science. And one really must say: there is something in all of this that brings certain words to one’s lips when speaking of spiritual science.

[ 36 ] This spiritual science still encounters a great deal of opposition and hostility today. I have pointed out repeatedly over the course of this winter that such opponents are bound to emerge. And their arguments are so compelling—or seem so compelling—because they are so easy to come by, and because, at heart, they are so incredibly plausible. One can truly understand any opponent of the spiritual science, and yet this opponent need not even say anything incorrect; he may even say something entirely correct. Let me conclude by mentioning how he can say something correct.

[ 37 ] Let’s suppose that someone—who may well be a very intelligent person—says: Here comes a spiritual researcher spouting all sorts of nonsense that Kant refuted long ago—so say those who base their views on Kant—because Kant has long since proven that human faculties are insufficient to penetrate the spiritual world; and if this spiritual researcher were to study Kant, he would soon fall silent on the subject.

[ 38 ] What the clever man—they’re all clever!—says isn’t entirely wrong. It may be entirely correct. If, back when microscopes did not yet exist, someone had said that one could find no objects other than macroscopic ones because the human eye cannot see into anything else, this might be quite astute. But what good does that do for the further progress of human thought and life? Even though it is true that the human eye cannot see down to the cells of organisms—because our vision is limited—people have nevertheless invented the microscope, and likewise the telescope, and can now see into places where the human eye cannot reach. Just as it may be very astute for someone to prove that the human eye is incapable of seeing cells and the like, so it may be very true what those people argue who speak of the limitations of human cognitive capacity. But does it matter whether it is true or not? Just as it is true that the human eye cannot see cells, yet just as culture has led to a sharpening of the eye’s vision, so there are spiritual methods that—despite the validity of Kantianism regarding the limitations of cognitive capacity—bring about a strengthening and invigoration of the soul’s life, enabling human beings to see into the spiritual world. Such arguments—and others as well—that opponents of spiritual science put forward must be grasped and understood.

[ 39 ] Truly, not to seek renown or to boast, but to share something that may now finally be said—let this be mentioned: that more and more people are now coming forward who sense, even in the present, the living, fruitful impulse that runs through spiritual science. Proof of this is that we are, after all, in a position to build a School of Spiritual Science in Dornach near Basel, in the canton of Solothurn. The intention here is not to concentrate spiritual science in one place; this must be made absolutely clear. Rather, the aim is to demonstrate that we are capable of showing how spiritual science can be active and creative through the creation of architectural, sculptural, and painterly forms and through the harmonious interplay of these individual elements within such a building. This building is intended merely to serve as a model demonstrating that spiritual science is capable of engaging directly with life. And the fact that supporters of spiritual science have come forward to provide the relatively substantial resources necessary to create this university building is in itself proof that spiritual science is, to some extent, already taking root in the souls of our time.

[ 40 ] Just as an aside, it should be mentioned that all sorts of fairy tales are being spread about this college for the humanities in Dornach—for example, the most recent one that was brought to my attention: that this college, which was in fact once supposed to be built in Munich, could not be built because we would have been turned away there. And all sorts of other fanciful nonsense is being put forward in connection with this. In reality, however, the situation is that we were not turned away, but rather that certain circles in Munich—who, after all, must be consulted first if anything is to be realized—were unable to reach a consensus on their expert assessment. The situation was thus such that these circles could well have taken ten years to issue their expert opinion; but we could not wait ten years to begin construction! — Another fairy tale claims that a sort of competition arose among various cities over the construction, and that other cities emerged victorious in this general competition of cities against Munich. This is not meant as a criticism of the indeed art-loving city of Munich; but this much must be said: if the people of Munich are now said to be fed up with the School of Humanities, which has now been built elsewhere, it is not as if so many cities were vying for it! No one has yet vied so fiercely for us. Incidentally, the newspaper in question is not particularly well-informed when it writes that Basel “appears” to have emerged from this competition as the most favorable city.

[ 41 ] I just want to mention this because, with the construction of this School of Spiritual Science, more opponents of spiritual science are now emerging here and there, and because the fact that the construction of this School could proceed—so that such an artistic landmark representing what spiritual science stands for can exist in the world—may serve as an outward sign that spiritual science is, after all, already gaining understanding. Those, however, who are determined to be opponents of the Science of the Spirit always argue by saying: Who are they, these followers of the Science of the Spirit? People without judgment! People who readily listen to faith or authority!” But usually these people who speak this way are the very ones who would very much like others to listen to their authority—or to what they regard as authority! And because the adherents of spiritual science do not do this, but have attained a certain lack of prejudice—which is the very quality on which spiritual science relies—that is why those people are opponents. However, an open-mindedness—freedom from the prejudices of a materialistically colored or otherwise dogmatic worldview—will be necessary if one wishes to show understanding toward spiritual science. And with this understanding, those who truly engage more intimately with this spiritual science will draw into their souls the gifts of life in the moral, cognitive, and volitional realms, as was indicated today. But for those who sense and grasp its living essence, one thing will become increasingly clear: This spiritual science is connected to what must provide the necessary new lifeblood—spiritual lifeblood—for the future of humanity. Even if what is connected with this spiritual science may give rise to certain teething problems—since, as understood here, this spiritual science is indeed still in the very early stages of its work—this is by no means intended to justify everything that manifests itself where one believes it is acting correctly. One thing, perhaps, may be stated at the end, especially today, as this lecture concludes the winter series. Any external temptation, anything that might lead us inwardly to advocate spiritual science in the same way that one is led to other spiritual movements—that is not, in fact, what prompts the spiritual researcher to speak out, what leads him to attempt to bring this spiritual science to his fellow human beings; but solely and exclusively the realization that through this spiritual science, the genuine, true, and fruitful gifts of life—for which every soul that wishes to understand itself must yearn—could enter into the human soul, and that this human soul, even if it does not yet know it today, craves these gifts of life, for it must have them if it is not to wither away. This is the feeling that imposes itself upon the representative of spiritual science, a feeling that lives within him as he represents it. And with this confession, I would like to conclude these winter lectures:

[ 42 ] Just as if the truly authentic essence of a fruitful future culture—toward which humanity is to strive—were to look upon the representative of spiritual science and demand that he represent this spiritual science, so this science itself stands before him. What fills him with hope and confidence in life and in the healing power of spiritual science for the humanity of the future coalesces into a sense of something genuine; and he cannot help but develop, from this sense of the authenticity of human nature, a faith that springs from true knowledge—a faith that, in a certain sense, therefore also knows: This spiritual science must take effect, no matter how many opponents it may face; it must endure, it must triumph. And just as it appears to the genuinely minded adherent, it is the authentic essence of humanity’s future development. Not the false or inauthentic, but only the authentic can take effect, can endure, can triumph!

[ 43 ] I conclude these winter lectures by expressing my confidence in the humanities.