Anthroposophical Spiritual Science
The word anthroposophy comes from the Greek and has the literal meaning: wisdom about the human being (anthropos = human being; sophia = wisdom). Its broader sense is “awareness of our humanity”.
Anthroposophy stands in the western Christian tradition of the human being’s philosophical and religious search to understand himself. Originating at the beginning of the twentieth century (see: The history of anthroposophy), anthroposophy is characterised by an expansion of perception and knowledge (spiritual realism) and the development of individual responsibility for one’s actions (ethical individualism).
As ethical individualism it develops and promotes the human being’s capacity for free self-determination. This includes self-knowledge derived from the consequences of one’s actions. As spiritual realism it opens new dimensions of reality, in which spiritual understanding of the human being, gained through reflection and direct experience expands and modifies the physical and psychological view of human beings (see: Core themes).
In this sense anthroposophy is an “experimental method to investigate general human attributes and world phenomena”, a “path of perception and knowledge, which aims to lead the spirit in the human being to the spirit in the cosmos.”
Anthroposophy transforms science into practical life and practical life into spiritual culture. This interconnected transformation can be seen as an artistic process, and provide new approaches for artistic creativity. In this way, anthroposophical spiritual science develops through the unfolding of individual capacities in committed involvement with culture and civil society.
Responsible for this section: Bodo von Plato, Robin Schmidt