The Rudolf Steiner Archive

3. Theosophy and the Scientific Spirit of the Present Age

I. Article in the “Weimarische Zeitung” dated April 22, 1903

[ 1 ] Third lecture by Dr. Rudolf Steiner — Berlin on “Theosophy and the Scientific Spirit of the Present Day.” Following the two lectures already delivered, the speaker set out to present to the audience—which had once again turned out in large numbers—a comparative and harmonious picture of the relationship between theosophy and the natural sciences; the following is a summary of this topic:

[ 2 ] In my previous lectures, I have already attempted to show that the great mystery of divine teaching that surrounds us is nothing more than the lawfulness, the logical consequence of all the research that has been undertaken—and continues to be undertaken—to unravel this enigma. In the foreseeable future, research in the natural sciences will have reached the point where theosophy begins, thereby securing for it the future that its proponents aspire to. It is precisely the longing for enlightenment regarding the highest mysteries, on the one hand, and the despondency and doubts regarding the highest questions, on the other, that still stand opposed to one another, neither having been overcome. This struggle, however, will compel even the outstanding minds of the present to focus on the very points that theosophy regards as its fundamental questions. In his book on the origin of humankind, a scholar—and he is not the only one—uses research to demonstrate how the physical human being came into being, and how the first imperfect living beings were formed from carbon, sulfur, water, and nitrogen. In the 10th stage, he shows how the primordial fish formed from the aforementioned primordial substances, which possessed a rudimentary or embryonic spine but no complete nervous system. He further shows how the brain, teeth, and limbs developed in these primordial animals, albeit only to an imperfect and rudimentary degree. In the subsequent stages, we see how these primitive animals, which otherwise lived only in water, adapted to life on land and developed the limbs necessary for this. The animals become more perfect and, after a long process of transformation, emerge into the world as kangaroos and later as apes—the animals most physically similar to humans—and in the 21st link of this chain of development, we see the great apes, from which, as the 22nd link, human beings themselves emerge. But in the chain of research, people forget to include the soul—the spiritual power of the human being—as the 23rd link, for it is in the biography, in the individuality of our “I,” that lies what elevates us above all other living beings. The species may well end with the 22nd link, but now our soul life begins, the development of which we can observe in exactly the same way as physical development if we proceed step by step. The course of science in the 1860s (Haeckel) shows that Western natural science is nothing more than elementary theosophy, and we may assume that this elementary theosophy will develop into a higher form over time. When the greatest natural scientists seek to draw conclusions, they find theosophy in those very conclusions.

[ 3 ] [Huxley], the most eminent anatomist who rendered the greatest services to the doctrine of Darwinism, states in his last major address that the stages of development leading up to the most complex human brain cannot be attributed solely to nature, but that one must ascend to a higher intelligence that stands above even the most perfect living being. In 1866, Haeckel made a radical statement regarding the biogenetic law, which states that every animal species undergoes the entire process of development once more during embryonic development. And just as the animal acquired its characteristics through its ceaseless development, so too did human beings acquire the organs that now distinguish them from what their ancestors had acquired and what they themselves had acquired. This is the law of karma in the physical realm. It is only through this that perfect living beings have come into being, because they possess an unconscious memory that connects them to their ancestors. And in the spirit of Ostwald’s statement—“Matter does not exist”—the Lübeck Natural Scientists’ Conference of 1895 also moved in this direction. Matter is, in fact, perpetual activity. From physics and chemistry, we enter the spiritual world, and the natural scientist is compelled, in order to continue his research, to draw upon the spiritual realm. Goethe also characterizes this spiritual essence of our “I” in his well-known saying: “If I have been restlessly active throughout my life and have developed to the point of full activity, then the forces of nature will one day be unable to dissolve me into the base elements; rather, they must seek out a new place for my continued activity.” Bunge teaches that the foundation of all theosophical knowledge is to be found in self-observation: If you wish to recognize activity, you must not merely observe the external world. That our living soul life cannot have developed from the inanimate is also taught by [Darwin] and Preyer, who consider it utterly impossible for anything living to develop from the inanimate. - And to recognize the divine unity—with gratitude and wisdom—and to acknowledge “that God cannot do the slightest thing without me” means to reach the first stage in the belief that we, as individual human beings, are members of the body of God.

[ 4 ] After a brief pause in his remarks, the speaker addressed several written questions and also responded to a question posed in person. His remarks were met with general applause.

II. Article in “Deutschland”, First Edition, April 23, 1903

[ 5 ] Dr. Steiner’s third and final lecture, delivered in Berlin on Monday at 8:00 p.m., dealt with theosophy and the scientific spirit of the present day. The speaker began with a brief reference to the two lectures he had given previously and explained that the fundamental principle of theosophical teaching is, above all, self-knowledge. Today, he said, we must explore to what extent the spirit of contemporary science is capable of embracing the teachings of Theosophy. Once the leading minds of science in our time have made Theosophical knowledge their own, then we can be certain that Theosophy has a future—indeed, that it will conquer the world. We are dealing here with a Janus-faced phenomenon: on the one hand, a yearning of the mind for a magnificent, new worldview; on the other, a lack of courage and despondency when it comes to delving into the profound wisdom of karma. It is the spirit of the present that must first be penetrated in order to characterize the stance of modern science toward theosophical teachings. A large part of modern science is, in fact, moving toward theosophical science. Redner pointed to the significant lecture by the Leipzig chemist Ostwald, which was delivered at the Congress of Natural Scientists in Lübeck. Dr. Steiner explained that this lecture would have been impossible some 10 years ago, for Ostwald held the view that there is no such thing as matter at all, but only activities. Using dramatic examples, Ostwald explained how he justified this, his, point of view. Ostwald said, for example: “When one is struck with a stick, it is not matter that strikes us, but rather the activity that moves the stick and delivers the blow.” Here, the law of karma must be emphasized once again, and the human spirit, too, is shaped by this activity over the course of a long period of development. The human spirit undergoes precisely the same stages of development that the human physical body has undergone over a long period of time. It is a complete process of development that unfolds from one personality to the next. It must be emphasized again and again that spiritual development corresponds exactly to physical development. Ernst Haeckel first brought this science to light in a rather radical manner in the 1860s. It is clear that Theosophy, too, must first develop to a higher level, and if all signs are correct, this will soon come to pass. As is well known, the natural sciences are in a state of constant change, and even today a great deal of theosophical thinking can be found among natural scientists. Ernst Haeckel, in particular, is one of those leading minds who is strongly pushing toward the theosophical movement, even if he himself may not be willing to admit it. Other leading minds also acknowledge the reality that runs like a common thread through all living beings—what we call the causal body. Another researcher, in turn, says: “I have acquired all my organs over the course of a long evolution, always from my ancestors. Today, my physical organs remember everything that has been acquired over the course of this time.” This, Dr. Steiner continued, is not said by a Theosophist, but by a radical natural scientist. Just as natural scientists strive to surprise humanity time and again with new scientific problems for which there is equally little clear evidence, so too can one not prevent the spiritual world from penetrating into humanity from another direction. Just as Ostwald had established the principle, “not matter, but activity,” so it could be asserted in this context that only materialism could assume that the spirit lies buried in matter. This is the foundation from which Goethe, too, arrived at his spiritual worldview. Goethe expressed his view on the destiny of the human spirit in the following sentence: “If I have been tirelessly active throughout my entire life, then nature has an obligation not to dissolve me into the base elements, but to assign me a new arena for my activity!” The researcher Bunge, too, demonstrates through a number of examples that only activity has brought about the further development of the human soul. For all who wish to understand human life, however, deep self-observation is essential under all circumstances. From this arises the realization that everything taking place around us in the universe is activity (karma) and nothing is matter. Of course, the activity itself cannot be seen, but its result certainly can. Thus, we have arrived at the central tenet of Theosophy, which can be summarized in a single word: self-observation. We have discovered that we possess a causal body that continues to propagate itself. But we do not represent a single, isolated being in the universe, but rather a link in the entire cosmos. Eastern wisdom calls the three aspects of human individuality Manas, Budhi, and Atma, and summarizes the stages of the intellect in these three words. Even a scholar of our time speaks of what Theosophy calls reincarnation—namely, Professor Baumann, Göttingen; thus, on the whole, it can be seen that modern science converges everywhere with the main tenets of Theosophy. However, in order for this lofty science to become clearly evident to every thinking person, a continuous process of self-knowledge must be at work within the individual; the spirit itself must feel and realize that individuality receives its proper assessment in Theosophical teaching. If one establishes this principle of self-knowledge, a quote from Goethe comes to our aid: “Were the eye not sun-like, it could not behold the sun; were God’s own power not within us, how could the divine delight us?” It is the task of the Theosophical Society to instill precisely this truth into Western culture. In Germany, too, the Society would carry out vigorous activities in the future, and specifically here in Weimar, a “Theosophical Society” had been founded, in which anyone who had absorbed even a spark of theosophical wisdom could continue to work on their spiritual development. In conclusion, Dr. Steiner pointed out that he would be happy to answer any questions directed at him; some questions had already been received. One inquiry, which had appeared in the Weimarer Zeitung, read as follows: “Couldn’t Goethe’s spirit, for a change, enter a female body?” Dr. Steiner, who described this question as very humorous and naive, explained that this could very well be the case; of course, one cannot say in which era Goethe’s spirit might take up residence in another body. After all, that era could lie some 38 generations in the past. Another question addressed the possibility of a spiritual connection existing between a highly developed animal—such as a dog—and a human; after all, a noble dog possesses intelligence, loyalty, a sense of shame, and even imagination—all qualities that cannot be observed in “lower human races,” as Dr. Steiner himself had noted in previous lectures. In response, Dr. Steiner explained that there is, in fact, a great difference between the capacities of the dog’s soul and those of the human soul. In the case of animals, he said, there is no individual biography, but only a concept of the breed. Above all, however, animals lack the ability to count, which every human possesses; this, he said, is likely the most significant difference between the human soul and the animal soul. - Another question—whether theosophy is a science or a religion—was answered by the speaker by stating that in theosophy, science, religion, philosophy, and ethics are united into a single whole. An objection raised in response to this answer—that one must not confuse religion and science, lest one lose one’s footing in reality—was rejected by Dr. Steiner when he explained that one must indeed set aside this outdated view of theosophy, as had already been explained in the previous lectures. With enthusiasm and compelling rhetoric, the speaker concluded by once again defending his theosophical teachings, pointing out that the first principle of theosophy lies in forming the core of a fraternal spiritual community that extends across all of humanity, regardless of race, religion, social class, nationality, or gender. — The remarks were met with rich applause at the conclusion.