The Human Being as Spiritual Being Evolving through the Course of History (CW 206)

Eleven lectures, Dornach, July–August 1921 (CW 206)

‘If we lived only in worlds of spirit, as we do between death and a new birth, we would never be able to acquire freedom there. It is something we can only achieve by our efforts within the physical world…’ – Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner’s lucid account of our current phase of evolution focuses on the threefold human being and the significance of incarnation on Earth. In a nuanced presentation, he supports the modern scientific outlook but highlights the urgent need to broaden it, emphasizing the importance of balance in thinking, feeling and will. Withdrawing into abstract intellectualism while letting feeling and will run amok, leads to unconscious egotism and, ultimately, the War of All Against All. In place of nebulous mysticism or narrow materialism, Steiner calls on us to bring our thoughts, feelings and actions under conscious self-control so that – for our benefit and society as a whole – we can live our lives with clarity, far-sightedness and purpose.

Intrinsic to this reassessment of ourselves and our place in the universe is a recognition of death as a gateway to continuing existence. Only by acknowledging our journey into the afterlife and our return to earth (reincarnation) will we take charge of a truly human evolution.

This previously-unpublished course of lectures ­– released in tandem with the twin course in CW 205 – features an introduction by Matthew Barton, notes and an index.

About the Author

Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861–1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe’s scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner’s multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.