Rudolf Steiner: An Autobiography

Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner #CW 28

by Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner has been called "the best kept secret of the twentieth century. In this book, Steiner recalls the first thirty-five years of his life and spiritual path. It was written in weekly installments for the anthroposophic newsletter to the members. Steiner did not often speak or write of himself in a personal way. Thus this book offers us an extremely rare opportunity to intimately view his inner life, the relationships he developed with those he encountered along the way, and the events that shaped him.This is no ordinary narrative of life's successes and failures but an autobiography of a soul. Each event and personal encounter is seen and gauged in relation to its spiritual roots and consequences. We witness the evolving consciousness of a modern spiritual master.This book is the self-portrait of a man whose ideas remain ahead of our time -- a man whose ideas are sorely needed in an increasingly confused and materialistic world.

Genres: Philosophy, Autobiography, Biography, Nonfiction, Metaphysics, Spirituality

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Author also wrote under the name Rudolph Steiner.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...


Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His teachings are influenced by Christian Gnosticism or neognosticism. Many of his ideas are pseudoscientific. He was also prone to pseudohistory.
In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality. His philosophical work of these years, which he termed "spiritual science", sought to apply what he saw as the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions,  differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, dance and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts. In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked on various ostensibly applied projects, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.
Steiner advocated a form of ethical individualism, to which he later brought a more explicitly spiritual approach. He based his epistemology on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's world view in which "thinking…is no more and no less an organ of perception than the eye or ear. Just as the eye perceives colours and the ear sounds, so thinking perceives ideas." A consistent thread that runs through his work is the goal of demonstrating that there are no limits to human knowledge.

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing about this book conformed to my expectations of the genre of an autobiography. Barely a mention of his parents, a single sentence about his siblings, never a mention of his first wife or her death, and no mention of marrying his second wife, though he did call her an excellent "word-shaper" and dramatist.

For people interested in Anthroposophy, this intellectual history of Rudolf Steiner is still an interesting read. The comments he makes about Nietzsche are fascinating, and his commentary on the modes of knowledge of his particular time in history are worth reading in so much as they are a counterbalance the the very materialistic thinkers of the time.

[Alberto Grandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per un antroposofo è una lettura obbligata

[Tompof · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will find at the philosophyoffreedom website a free online study course on the “Philosophy of Freedom”. It is Rudolf Steiner's most important work, and the one that will endure the longest, because it describes his path to freedom.

When asked, “What will remain of your work in thousands of years? Steiner replied: “Nothing but the Philosophy of Freedom. When asked which of his books he would most want to see rescued if catastrophe should come upon the world, Steiner replied: “The Philosophy of Freedom”. When a student asked if he could attend Steiner's private esoteric training group, Steiner replied: “You don’t need to! You have understood my Philosophy of Freedom!”

[Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really helpful book for everyone interested in anthroposophy and Rudolf Steiner's teachings. It show the background and life of one of the leading thinkers of mankind and helps in understanding his genius.

[Marietje · Rating 5 out of 5]

I helped me a great deal to see how Steiner came to his ideas. I will study his work in a different way now.

[Eóin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soms moeilijk om doorheen te komen, met houterige passages plus complex filosofisch en theoretisch taalgebruik. Toch is het boek ook wel de moeite waard, want de lezer maakt kennis met de invloedrijke en veelbesproken man en zijn gedachtegoed middels zijn eigen woorden en stem. Het boek leest minder als een verhalende levensvertelling, en meer als een uiteenzetting van de ontwikkeling van zijn antroposofische gedachtegoed aan de hand van alle invloeden en vriendschappen tijdens zijn leven. Soms lijkt het boek eerder een soort verdediging van hemzelf en de antroposofie tegenover critici uit zijn tijd. Mijn belangrijkste reden voor het geven van drie sterren: het boek lezen heeft een haast meditatieve werking. En dat is erg fijn. Aanrader: lezen bij een haardvuur met een kop thee.

[Danilo De Santis · Rating 5 out of 5]

entrare nel vissuto dell’uomo più influente del secolo è un dono difficile da scordare. La sua capacità di amare tutto ciò che lo ha circondato, senza emettere giudizi contro chiunque è una lezione di vita da apprendere, comprendere e contemplare.

[Keaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted more information about his life.

[Safitri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells us about Steiner, before we explore his works. We need to dwell into his story first, to get to know more of anthroposophy

[Zucchini Bear38 · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s awesome

[Alfredo Acosta]

Amazing book, specially when you want to understand a little bit of Steiner from context. Chapters I truly love: When he talks about his inner transformation at the age of 35 ( Chapter 51-53), when he talks about falling in love (Chapter 19), when he talks about Ahrimanic impulses (Chapter 54-57). Not easy to understand. Was the first I read about anthroposophy and took me some years and many other books to have the background to understand a little more and enjoy as I did this time.