The Rudolf Steiner Archive

17. The Task and Goal of the Humanities and Spiritual Seeking in the Present

[ 1 ] [Beginning missing.] [We are aware of the] limitations of sight; [this comparison with human cognition is, admittedly,] astute, but fruitless; [for it is] best to arm the eyes. – Are the powers of the human soul capable of penetrating the realm of the spirit that lies beyond things? [This is how one might object to the spiritual researcher.] Do you not see that Kant’s arguments regarding the limitations of human cognitive power have good reason? Yes, [just as] those concerning the human eye; [which] cannot penetrate the living organism composed of cells. – Quite right, [says the spiritual researcher], but this simply means that, just as [our] eye is limited, [so too]—just as one can extend the power of sight with a telescope and a microscope—human beings can still penetrate the spiritual realm.

[ 2 ] The task of the humanities is to transform a question from one that is merely correct into one that is fruitful. It does not dispute the views of those who speak of the limitations of human cognitive faculties, but it provides the means [to expand them].

[ 3 ] Have you also tried to live in harmony with your thoughts, feelings, and impulses of will? An unlimited increase in attention [is possible through spiritual science]; [one can] focus on a limited aspect within the horizon of our consciousness; this [is the origin] of the word “attention.” Then, by paying attention, [one develops] a good memory; for a good memory is the fruit of the repeated strengthening of our attention. Our consciousness, too, depends on this when [it] constantly concentrates the powers of the soul. One also [achieves] an enhancement of the “I.” Concentration: [What matters] less [is] the content [itself] than [the] effort involved. If water is not [separated into its elements], [one] cannot say anything about the nature of hydrogen. Only when the soul has been “strengthened”—only then, when one has separated the hydrogen—can one say anything about its nature. Only when the soul has been separated can one say anything about the soul-spiritual. Water is not a monon; it is dualistic.

[ 4 ] Richard Wahle [has] attempted to [devaluate] all concepts. Goethe, [on the other hand, takes the stance]: Make yourself an organ. Surrender to whatever comes your way. It will come on its own—like light to the eye. Wahle [believes] that all ideas [are subjective]. Spiritual science, [however], does not provide a new idea, but rather a path. Spiritual science [focuses] more on the “how,” while natural science focuses on the “what.” [Just as one cannot] conceive of a clock [without] a clockmaker. The laws of nature [alone] do not lead to God. Human beings [originate in the] microcosm from the physical world, [but are] also spiritually [in the macrocosm] from all entities and forces of the spiritual world.