If you ask someone from a German-speaking area what they associate with the name Rudolf Steiner, they might mention the all-natural cosmetics brand Veleda (Switzerland), the strictly organic food products Demeter (Germany), or the alternative Waldorf schools in their town. But that's certainly not the case around the world...
Although Steiner himself may not be well-known, his ideas have certainly had a global impact, especially in the field of education. Steiner opened the first Waldorf school in 1919, and today, a hundred years after his death, there are some 3.205 Waldorf kindergartens and schools in 75 countries around the world, from Mexico to Tanzania to China - and of course in Croatia, where he was born.
What is special about Waldorf schools?
Waldorf schools aim to "educate children for freedom." Teachers and educators are, as Rudolf Steiner wrote, "merely the environment for the child who educates himself" – an idea that was revolutionary at the time.
All the usual school subjects are included in the curriculum, but they are supplemented by artistic activities. Of particular importance is "eurythmy", the art of spiritual dance developed by Steiner, through which students are supposed to learn how to harmonize body and mind. The most famous - and often ridiculed - part of this concept of the Waldorf school is the method: "dance your name."
And speaking of names: industrialist Emil Molto, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory, wanted to provide an education for the children of his workers and asked Steiner to take over the running of the school in 1919. The school was named after Molto's company – Waldorf. And that's how it stayed.
Despite this, even parents whose children attend Waldorf schools may not be that familiar with the founder and his ideas.
So who was Rudolf Steiner? Educator? Philosopher? Entrepreneur? A man ahead of his time? Or a prisoner of the prejudices of his era?
Born in Međimurje
Rudolf Steiner was born on February 25, 1861 in Donji Kraljevec in Međimurje, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now in Croatia. Both his father and mother were Austrian.
He had an exceptionally clear mind and at the age of 16 he was already reading Immanuel Kant's complex philosophical work "Critique of Pure Reason".
Thanks to a scholarship, he studied at the Technical University of Vienna, but due to financial difficulties he had to discontinue his studies of philosophy, literature and history.
On the recommendation of his professor in Vienna, he went to Weimar in 1890 to edit the collected works of Goethe. He was particularly fascinated by Goethe's spiritual view of nature.
He was also an early admirer of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whose ideas about free thought and human nature strongly appealed to him. He knew him personally, as did many other notable people of his time.
Steiner moved to Berlin in 1897, where, in addition to working in a literary magazine, he published his own writings on artistic, philosophical, and political topics. He also taught at a workers' education school, which had a socialist character.
Spiritual worldview - the wisdom of Man
Steiner lived in a time of great upheaval, towards the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
He believed that the spiritual world was as real and tangible as this world.
He believed that man had lost the ability to recognize the invisible, spiritual elements that surround him. As a young man, he claimed to have psychic abilities and to be able to communicate with deceased relatives. But he also later claimed that he gained much of his knowledge "extrasensory."
He joined the Theosophical movement, an esoteric and occult movement from the late 19th century, from which he adopted beliefs in pantheistic evolution and reincarnation.
He developed his own philosophy – anthroposophy, whose name comes from the Greek words anthropos (man) and sophia (wisdom), just as the word theosophy is constructed from the words God and wisdom.
At the heart of anthroposophy is the idea that contact with the spiritual world requires an expansion of consciousness. Humanity, according to Steiner, has lost access to that world, but can learn how to re-establish it.
Charismatic speaker
Steiner's anthroposophy proved extremely attractive at a time when religion was in decline and scientific explanations were shaking up previous certainties. His contemporaries were happy to overlook some of the unusual theories he presented.
"I think he offered people a new meaning to life," explains American author Gary Luckman, who published a biography of Steiner in 2007.
When Steiner gave a lecture, people would stand in lines. As a gifted speaker, he completely captivated his audience.
Writer Stefan Zweig was fascinated: "It was exciting to listen to him, because his education was astonishing, and compared to ours, which was limited exclusively to literature, it was truly incredibly diverse."
Among Steiner's listeners was often Albert Einstein. However, the founder of the theory of relativity was skeptical: "Think about this nonsense: extrasensory experience. If I can't use my eyes and ears, I must at least use some sense organ to perceive something."
Publicist Kurt Tuholski called him "the little man's Jesus."
Steiner did not allow himself to be swayed by criticism. He strove to establish anthroposophy in all possible areas.
He spoke about the beneficial effects of Moon Water, buried cow horns in accordance with the principles of biodynamic agriculture. He dealt with organic architecture and alternative healing methods.
Was Steiner a racist and an anti-Semite?
Steiner distanced himself from the anti-Semitic, nationalist, and racist discussions of his time.
"Nothing will lead humanity to ruin more than if the ideals of races, nations, and blood are transmitted," he wrote.
However, at the same time, he classified humanity into "root races" to which he attributed different characteristics. In his view, humanity evolved through reincarnation.
Certain races were chosen, others were not. Only the "Aryan root race" was destined to lead humanity. He spoke of "degenerate Indians" and "a strong drive in the Negro." That is certainly racist.
And although he publicly criticized the then-popular anti-Semitism, Rudolf Steiner's writings also contain anti-Semitic statements: "Judaism as such has long been exhausted, it has no justification within modern national life. And that it has nevertheless survived is a mistake of world history whose consequences could not be avoided. Here we are not referring only to the forms of the Jewish religion, but above all to the spirit of Judaism, the Jewish way of thinking."
Later, Steiner distanced himself from this statement and even became active in the "Association for the Defense of Anti-Semitism." Looking back, it can be concluded that Steiner's opinions were extremely ambivalent.
End of life in Switzerland
From the beginning of World War I, Rudolf Steiner lived in Dornach, Switzerland, with his second wife and closest collaborator Maria. The spiritual center of his movement, embodied in the Goetheanum, is still located there today. Steiner died on March 30, 1925, at the age of 64.
Unlike many other esoteric movements that failed to outlive their leader, anthroposophy remained strong. Ten years after his death in 1935, the Nazis banned the Anthroposophical Society, but it was able to survive and rebuild itself after World War II.
Anthroposophy in the 21st century remains a global, if largely marginal, movement. There are 36 national anthroposophical societies worldwide with around 42.000 dedicated members, and many more who, perhaps unknowingly, simply apply anthroposophy in practice.
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