Self-Education

Self-Education: Autobiographical reflections, 1861-1893

Berlin, February 4th, 1913 (CW 250F)

An extraordinarily detailed and candid description given by Steiner of his boyhood, youth, and approach to manhood.  Full of humorous anecdotes and lively but reverent portrayals of the individuals who surrounded him in his early life, and it creates a picture of the roots of Steiner’s gifts to the world in Waldorf education and other areas. This edition includes many photographs of Steiner  as well as of some of his mentors.

About the Author

Rudolf 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.