Man and World In the Light of Anthroposophy

Man and World In the Light of Anthroposophy: Modern Answers for Modern Questions

“Anthroposophy, which is the subject of this book, is squarely based—as must be stated at the outset—on the actual knowledge of the spiritual world that Rudolf Steiner, its founder, acquired and perfected through the conscious development of those higher faculties that, as he told us, ‘slumber within every human being.’” —Steward C. Easton (p. 6)

A sense of alienation and isolation is part of the experience of every modern person. Social and political life are governed by fear and uncertainty. People are strangers both to one another and to the world. Why are these conditions more acute now than ever before in history? What meaning can be found in our modern crises?

In the light of anthroposophy (literally human-wisdom) we come to see that man’s fall from grace is at the same time his path to freedom. As a body of knowledge, anthroposophy shows how the human being’s relationship to the world has changed with each historical epoch.

In this book, Stewart Easton gives the reader a clear overview of the complex terrain along this path, explaining that anthroposophy is not so much a philosophical system as a “seed” of new consciousness. Through the very act of becoming conscious of one’s true relationship to the world, this relationship changes once again. The alienation is gradually bridged; life begins to have purpose; the seed has begun to grow.

The many practical fruits of the tree that grows from this seed are described in the second part of this work: a medical science that is truly holistic, an agricultural system that is in harmony with nature and the cosmos, an educational method that nurtures head, heart, and hand toward the freedom that comes from reaching one’s full potential, and much more.

This book provides an informative and comprehensive introduction to anthroposophy and to Rudolf Steiner, the inaugurator of anthroposophy.

Reprint of 1989 revised third edition.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction to the Third Edition

Part I. Anthroposophy as a Body of Knowledge

1. Introductory
2. History and the Evolution of Human Consciousness
3. Individual Spiritual Development and Human Freedom
4. Man in His Life on Earth and in the Spiritual Worlds: Reincarnation and Karma
5. Anthroposophy and Christianity
6. Anthroposophy and Its Relation to the Arts
7. The Science of Spirit and the Science of Nature
8. The Social Tasks of the Age in the Light of Anthroposophy

Part II. Anthroposophy in Practical Life

9. Introduction
10. The New Art of Education: The Waldorf School Movement
11. Anthroposophy and Curative Education
12. Agriculture in the Light of Anthroposophy: Biodynamic Farming and Gardening
13. Medicine and Nutrition in the Light of Anthroposophy
14. The General Anthroposophical Society and the Anthroposophical Societies throughout the World

Afterword
Index

Stewart C. Easton (1907–1989) was born in Cheadle, UK, and received his doctorate in history from Columbia University, New York City, and taught for many years at the City College of New York. He was a General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America and wrote numerous books and articles on Anthroposophy.