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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Fr...
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Freedom Part 5
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07:55
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Fr...
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Freedom Part 4
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"The Philosophy Of Freedom" by Rudolf Steiner (1861-19
http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com
"The Philosophy Of Freedom" by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) Chapter 12 Moral Imagination Video 1 of 2 Free spirits act according to their impulses, that is, according to intuitions selected from their world of ideas by thinking. Un-free spirits single out an intuition from their world of ideas according to 'past experiences'. Before coming to a decision, un-free spirits 'remember' what someone else did or recommended be done in a similar situation or they remember what God has commanded be done in such a case,... and they act accordingly. For free spirits these pre-conditions are not the only source of action. They care little of what others have done, or what others recommend or dictate be done. Free spirits make absolutely 'original' decisions. Free spirits have 'purely ideal reasons' which lead them to select from the sum of their concepts just one in particular,... and then to translate it into action. For un-free spirits, motives are present from the start in the form of 'mental pictures' in their consciousness. When un-free spirits want to do something, they do it as they have seen it done, or as they have been told to do it. A Christian acts less according to the teachings than to the 'example' of the Savior. Authority works best by giving specific examples. Such as: ''Sweep the walk in front of the house!'' Such as: ''Pay this amount of taxes, at this tax office, on this date!'' Concrete Mental Picture Moral laws are given in a 'general conceptual form' such as ''You shall do good to your neighbor!'' and ''You shall live in ways that ensure good health!'' Whenever the impulse for an action is present in a 'general conceptual form' then for each particular case the 'concrete mental picture' must first be found for the action. The 'concrete mental picture' relates the moral principle to specific action. For example,... your neighbors house burns down! You select ''Do good to your neighbor'' as the moral principle. You translate this into the 'specific action' of volunteers rebuilding the house. For the free spirit, who is not compelled by example, nor by the fear of punishment to act as others do,... a translation of the general ethical principle into a specific mental picture is always necessary. Moral Imagination Human beings produce concrete mental pictures from the sum of their ideas by means of the 'imagination'. Free spirits need 'moral imagination' in order to realize their ideas and be effective. Moral imagination is the source of the free spirit's action. Only people with moral imagination are, strictly speaking, morally productive. Those who merely preach morality,... that is, people who spin out ethical rules without the ability to condense them into an idea of specific action,... are morally unproductive. They are like 'critics' who can explain very well what a work of art ought to be like,... but who are themselves incapable of even the slightest creative effort. Moral Technique Moral imagination, in order to turn its idea into a reality, must set to work in a definite field. Human action does not create objects of perception,... but 'transforms' already existing ones by giving them a new form. To be able to transform something, according to a moral mental picture,... it is necessary to understand the underlying 'laws',... how it has worked up to now. Further, it is necessary to discover the 'method' by which this lawfulness can be changed into a new one. This part of effective moral activity depends on 'knowledge' of the world of phenomena with which one is involved. This knowledge must be sought in a branch of 'science'. The ability to transform the world without 'violating' the natural laws by which things are connected is 'moral technique'. Effective moral action requires the 'faculty' of having 1. moral ideas(moral intuition)2. moral imagination 3. and the 'ability' of moral technique. Moral technique can be learned in the same sense that any science is learned. Out of imagination, the not-yet-existing actions of the future will originate. Those without moral imagination may receive moral mental pictures from others... and skillfully work them into the actual world. Conversely, people with moral imagination can lack 'technical skill', and must rely on others for realizing their ideas. History Of Moral Ideas Moral imagination and the capacity for having moral ideas can become subjects of study only 'after' they have been produced by the individual. The study of them is a 'natural history of moral ideas'. Effective moral action requires: 1. Moral Intuition 2. Moral Imagination 3. Moral Technique http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free will anthroposophic freedom (more) (less)
Added: 1 month ago
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Fr...
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Freedom Part 3
The first part of this video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn0nDwc3rxg
http:
The first part of this video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn0nDwc3rxg http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com The "Philosophy Of Freedom" by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) Chapter 13, The Value Of Life (Optimism and Pessimism), Video 2 of 2 Value Of Pleasure Is pleasure really the yardstick for the value of life? The quantity of pleasure would reach the 'highest value' if all needs (desires) are satisfied. The value of pleasure is measured by the 'needs' of life. If I hunger for two pieces of bread and get one, the pleasure has only half the value. The quality of an 'immediate' pleasure reaches the highest value when its duration and degree coincides with our desire. 'Desire' is the standard by which we measure the value of pleasure. Will For Pleasure (intensity of desire) The question is not whether there is a more pleasure or pain,... but whether the 'will' is strong enough to overcome the pain. An admirer of beautiful views never compares the 'amount of pleasure' of the mountain peak view with the 'pain' of the difficult climb... but considers whether his 'intensity of desire' will be sufficient to overcome all difficulties. Magnitude Of Pleasure Every pain and every pleasure has a specific 'magnitude' (intensity and duration). We can compare the magnitudes of different kinds of pleasurable sensations with each other. It is a mistake to say we strive for the greatest amount of pleasure in life except perhaps in 'amusement' activities. If it is a choice between enjoying a game of cards or light conversation after work... We will ask which will bring the most pleasure. Highest Pleasure (realization of ethical ideals) The pessimistic moralist presents the pursuit of happiness as an impossibility... so that we will dedicate ourselves to the 'proper' moral tasks. Ethics is not based upon the eradication of all striving for pleasure,... but rather upon a strong will sustained by 'ideal intuitions'. They are our own intuitions, the 'driving forces' harnessed by our spirit. We want them,... because the realization of our ideal is our 'highest pleasure'. We will strive for ethical ideals if our 'moral imagination' is active enough to inspire us with intuitions. Intuitions give our will the strength to overcome all resistance within our own 'constitution',... including the pain involved. The realization of ones sublimely great ideals will bring a 'joy' that makes the gratification of commonplace desires a mere triviality. 'Immature people', with no moral imagination, like to see the instincts of their half-developed nature as the fullest expression of humanity,... and dismiss all moral ideas not created by them, so that they can fulfill themselves without restriction. My intention is to show that 'freedom' is possible,... that it is action springing from spiritual intuitions, ...but not of actions carried out under sensual or emotional constraints. Mature individuals give themselves their own 'value'. They do not aim at pleasure,... which comes to them as a 'gift of grace' on the part of Nature or by the Creator;...nor do they live for the sake of duty, after having renounced the craving for pleasure. Individuals act as they want to, that is, in accordance with their 'ethical intuitions'... and they find in the achievement of what they want the true joy of life. Individuals determine the value of life by measuring their achievements against their aims. The individual who knows himself through and through,... is his own master and own assessor. If freedom is to be realized,... the willing within human nature must be sustained by 'intuitive thinking'. http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free will anthroposophic (more) (less)
Added: 1 month ago
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Fr...
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Freedom Part 2
The rest of this video (Video 2) is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItqXLI0Qgd8
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The rest of this video (Video 2) is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItqXLI0Qgd8 http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com The "Philosophy Of Freedom" by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) Chapter 13, The Value Of Life (Optimism and Pessimism), Video 1 of 2 One view declares this the best possible world... and to live and act in it is a gift of untold value. Everything exhibits harmonious and purposeful co-operation and is worthy of admiration. The other view is that life is a 'burden' full of misery and want. Happiness Some believe this world is the best possible, for God is good and wise. Just find out God's intentions and then act accordingly,... and we will feel 'happy' in doing what is right. From this 'optimistic' view life is worth living... It must stimulate us to co-operative participation. Suffering Pictured differently the foundation of the world is not a wise and beneficent being,... but blind urge. Life is craving and suffering. The best one can do is to stifle all wishes and needs,... to exterminate the will. This 'pessimistic' view leads to inactivity;... the moral aim is universal idleness. Pain Outweighs Pleasure (egotism) Pessimism can be used for ethics. Observation of life shows that what appears good and satisfying turns out to be 'illusion'. It is an illusion to believe that we find happiness in health, youth, freedom, sufficient income, love (sexual satisfaction), compassion, friendship and family life, or self-esteem, honor, fame, power, religious edification, scientific and artistic pursuits, hope of life hereafter, participation in cultural evolution, that these are sources of happiness is an illusion. Every enjoyment brings more evil and misery into the world than pleasure. The pain of the hangover is always greater than the pleasure of getting drunk. By recognizing that the pursuit of personal satisfaction (egotism) is folly,... pessimism leads to 'selfless service' in a lofty task. Pleasure of Striving (hope) The success of our striving creates pleasure, failure creates pain.... Striving itself can in no way count as pain. A lack of striving in one's life produces boredom,... and this is connected with displeasure. Striving (desiring) in itself gives pleasure.... Who does not know the enjoyment given by the 'hope' of a future but intensely desired goal? Quantity Of Pleasure If we calculate whether our life holds more pleasure or pain,... we must take into account the following... 1. pleasure of striving 2. the pleasure at the fulfillment of a desire 3. pleasure which comes to us without any striving (gifts). On the other side of the account we shall have to enter... 1. displeasure of boredom 2. the pain of unfulfilled striving 3. pain which comes to us without any desiring on our part. (forced work) We can make a rational estimate of the value of life according to the 'quantity of pleasure' in our life. Quality Of Pleasure To evaluate life properly, the factors which 'falsify' our judgment as to the balance of pleasure and pain must be cleared away. 1. Our desire (instinct) will interfere with our estimate of pleasure. For example, strong sexual instinct promises greater pleasure than it delivers. 2. A critical examination of feelings can prove that the 'objects' our feelings attach to... are revealed as illusions by the light of reason. For example, the ambitious man will find the recognition he pursues a worthless thing. Hopelessness Of Egotism If the amount of pain is great with 'no hope' of future pleasure,... this must lead to the bankruptcy of life. 'Ethical ideals' are said not to be strong enough to master the will... One must learn that selfish striving for pleasure cannot lead to satisfaction. Ethical ideals establish their dominion on the ground cleared for them by the recognition of the 'hopelessness of egotism'. ...to be continued. See the inspiring conclusion of Chapter 13 on Video 2. http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free will anthroposophic (more) (less)
Added: 1 month ago
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06:14
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Fr...
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Rudolf Steiner: Philosophy Of Freedom Part 1
http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com
"The Philosophy Of Freedom" by Rudolf Steiner (1861-
http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com
"The Philosophy Of Freedom" by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) Chapter 14 Individuality and Type The view that people are capable of free individuality seems to be contradicted by the facts. We appear as a member of a natural whole (race, ethnicity, nationality, family, and gender) and act within a whole(state, church, etc.). We show the general characteristics of the group to which we belong. Our actions are determined by the place we occupy within the group. In view of all this, is individuality still possible? Can we regard the individual as a self-contained whole if we emerge from one group and join another? Group Characteristics Of Individual All who belong to an ethnic group bear the characteristics determined by the nature of the group. Through this the physiognomy and behavior of the individual person takes on a quality common to the group. The ethnic group explains why something about the individual appears as it does. Group Qualities - A Medium For Individual Expression As members of one human race we free ourselves from typical group qualities. We develops qualities and activities of our own, whose source can be found only in ourselves. Common group characteristics serve only as a means or medium through which we express our own individual being. Individual Capacities And Inclinations We see too much of the general character of the others gender and too little of what is individual. A persons position within society should be determined by individual capacities and inclinations, rather than what is generally considered to be a gender's natural tasks and needs. Individual Decision What a person is capable of, according to their nature disposition, must be left to the individual to decide. People must be allowed to decide for themselves what is in accordance with their nature. Unique Content Of Individual Racial, ethnic, national, and gender characteristics are the subjects for academic study. Only people who wish to live merely as examples of a group type could fit the general picture derived from such academic study. None of these sciences are able to advance to the unique content of the self-determined individual. Individual Conceptual Content The conceptual content of ones thinking cannot be fixed once and for all and handed down in finished form to humanity. Individuals must gain their concepts through their own individual intuition. Individual Goals It is not possible to determine from ones group characteristics what concrete aims the individual may choose to set themselves. To understand the individual we must find our way into their own particular being and not stop short at typical characteristics. In this sense every single human being is a separate problem. Knowledge Of An Individual We can only 'know' an individual when they tell us their way of viewing the world and by the knowledge we get from the wishes and intentions of an individuals acts of will. Freedom Of Knowing To understand a free individual we must take in those concepts by which the individuality defines itself. People who immediately mix their own concepts into every judgment of others, can never understand an individuality. Freedom From Group Characteristics Only to the degree that a person gradually frees itself from the common urges of animal life and the controlling decrees of human authorities can it be said they are a free spirit within a community. Individual Ethical Conduct That part of our nature unable to achieve freedom lives by copying others or by obeying their commands. Only that part of our conduct that springs from our 'intuitions' has ethical value in the true sense. Individual Ethical Intuitions It is from individual ethical intuitions and their acceptance by human communities that all moral activity of humankind originates. The moral life of humanity is the sum total of the ethical intuitions of free individuals. http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free will anthroposophic (more) (less)
Added: 2 months ago
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Rudolf Steiner: Pursuit Of Indiv...
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Rudolf Steiner: Pursuit Of Individuality
http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com
Pursuit Of Individuality
Inspired by Rudolf Stein
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Pursuit Of Individuality Inspired by Rudolf Steiner's ''Philosophy Of Freedom'', (taken from original version, Chapter 1, The Goal Of Knowledge, before it was removed in the 1918 revision). In the present day, human interests tend to center in the veneration of human individuality. An energetic effort is being made to shake off every kind of authority. Nothing is accepted as valid, unless it springs from the roots of individuality. Everything which hinders the individual in the full development of his powers is thrust aside. The saying, ''Each one of us must choose his hero in whose footsteps he toils up to Olympus'', no longer holds for us. We allow no ideals to be forced upon us. We are convinced that in each of us, if only we probe deep enough into the very heart of our being, there dwells something noble, something worthy of development. We no longer believe that there is a norm of human life to which we must all strive to conform. We regard the perfection of the whole to depend on the unique perfection of each single individual. We do not want to do what anyone else can do equally well. No, our contribution to the development of the world, however trifling, must be something which, by reason of the uniqueness of our nature, we alone can offer. Never have artists been less concerned about rules and norms in art than today. Each of them asserts their right to express, in the creations of their art, what is unique in them. There are dramatists who use informal language rather than conform to the standard diction which grammar demands. No better expression for these phenomena can be found than this, that they result from the individuals striving towards 'freedom', developed to its highest pitch. We do not want to be dependent in any respect, and where dependence must be, we tolerate it only on condition that it coincides with a vital interest of our individuality. Where dependence must be, we tolerate it only on condition that it coincides with a vital interest of our individuality. Truth, too, will be sought in an age such as ours only in the depths of human nature. http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free freedom anthroposophic (more) (less)
Added: 2 months ago
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Rudolf Steiner: What is Free Com...
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Rudolf Steiner: What is Free Community?
What is Free Community?
Inspired by Rudolf Steiner's "Awakening To Community", lecture 6
What is Free Community?
Inspired by Rudolf Steiner's "Awakening To Community", lecture 6 http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com What are the conditions that must prevail for building a 'free community'? Intellectualism divides and isolates people. Community can not be built with abstract words. Rationalistic, intellectualistic sermonizing divides and isolates people. One can think and develop logic alone;... in fact, one can do it better by being with oneself. When engaged in purely logical thinking,.. one feels a need to withdraw from the world and people. Human nature must become more conscious,... but that is not the same as becoming more intellectualistic. The intellectual element does not give people anything that could unite them. Community Building Elements: I. Commonality 1. Common Folk Community There is one kind of community that everyone over the entire globe is aware of. Folk groups are conceived in relation to the language they speak. Common language is the foundation of a first, primitive building of community. 2. Common Life Memories You find yourself, later in life, in the company of companions of your childhood. A communal experiencing happens with the recollection of common memories of youthful life. 3. Common Cosmic Memories Before we descended to earth, we lived through a cosmic lifetime in a spiritual world. Ceremonial acts and words used in rituals are reflections, pictures of a pre-earthly existence. The shared experience of the ritual brings the cosmic memories to the surface of the subconscious. The community creating power of rituals is the shared memory of spiritual experiences. Community Building Elements: II. Human Awakening Another force to foster community is wakefulness. A dreaming person is alone with their dreams. 1. Awaken In Encounter With Nature We awaken to everyday life in the encounter with the natural world. We awaken through the impact of nature,... through its light and tones and warmth. We awaken in the encounter with the natural external aspects of other human beings. 2. Awaken In Encounter With Soul-Spirit Of Another. In everyday life we do not encounter what is going on in the depths of another's soul or spirit. We awaken at a higher level in the encounter with the soul-spirit of another. This is where the first true understanding of 'free community' sets in. 3. Idealism Creates Strength For Awakening The strength needed to achieve awakening can be created by instilling true idealism in communities. True idealism is to consciously lift to the ideal level, what has been seen, learned and understood on the earthly level. Ideals are not left as abstract thought, but the ideal is endowed with a higher life as we live into it. Community Building Elements: III. Awakening To Free Community 1. Presence Of Spiritual Being A feeling of reverence should imbue a room when we assemble. Our hearts, souls and attitude must invoke the presence of a spiritual being in a room where conversation is carried on. We must attune our speaking, feeling, thinking, and impulses of will such that we feel a spiritual being listening. 2. Community Of Spirit The ties that make for folk community are not present in the same way for people who have developed 'freedom'. A real community spirit is attracted by our common experiencing when we engage in spiritual study together. Ideals becomes real when people join in 'tasks together' and experience awakening in the encounter with their fellows. The awakenings undergo a development,... and take place in ever new ways as people go on meeting and growing together. By taking ideas into an awakened soul, rather than a soul asleep to higher things, the true spirit of community descends. 3. Founding Free Communities 'Free communities' will spring up as an outcome of true awareness. The forming of 'free communities' occurs when one learns to awaken in the encounter with another. Ever fresh awakenings through those with whom one finds oneself, holds such groups together. 4. Union Of Free Communities A loose union of 'free communities' could work out ways of living together united only by a common ideal. We should keep our discussions objective and impersonal in trying to reach clarity on what form our community should take. Instead of dragging in spiritual theories in an artificial, nebulous way, take life's ordinary concerns as a starting point. Avoid sentimental dragging in of all sorts of matters, and instead fill our hearts with 'free impulses', conceived in full clarity. 'Free spirit community' arising from 'free individuals'. A sense of real relationship between persons and a spiritual impulse to joint activity. http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free freedom anthroposophic (more) (less)
Added: 2 months ago
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Rudolf Steiner: What is a Free D...
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Rudolf Steiner: What is a Free Deed?
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What is a Free Deed?
Rudolf Steiner from "Truth and K
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What is a Free Deed? Rudolf Steiner from "Truth and Knowledge", Chapter 8 What does the possession of knowledge and science mean for us? The innermost core of the world comes to expression in our knowledge. The harmony of laws ruling throughout the universe shines forth in human cognition. It is part of man's task, to bring into the sphere of apparent reality the fundamental laws of the universe. Our moral ideals determine the whole character of our conduct in life. Our moral ideals are ideas which we have of our task in life-- the ideas we form of what we should bring about through our deeds. To recognize the law in the sphere of human conduct is simply a special instance of cognition. To know oneself to be at one with one's deeds means to possess, as knowledge, the moral concepts and ideals that correspond to the deeds. If we recognize these laws, then our deeds are also our own creations. If the 'I' has really penetrated its deed with full insight, in conformity with its nature, then it also feels itself to be master. To carry out a deed under the influence of a law external to the person who brings the deed to realization, is a deed done in 'unfreedom'. To carry out a deed ruled by a law that lies within the one who brings it about, is a deed done in 'freedom'. To recognize the laws of one's deeds, means to become conscious of one's own freedom. Often we do not possess knowledge of the laws governing our deeds. Such deeds form a part of our activity which is 'unfree'. In contrast, there is that other part where we make ourselves completely at one with the laws. This is the 'free sphere'. Only insofar as man is able to live in this sphere, can he be called moral. To transform the 'unfree sphere' of our activity into one that has the character of the 'free sphere' is the task of every individual's development. The most important problem of all human thinking is to understand man as a free personality, whose very foundation is himself. http://www.philosophyoffreedom.com rudolf steiner anthroposophy biodynamic waldorf school eurythmy goetheanum philosophy free freedom anthroposophic (more) (less)
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