 What is the path in The Philosophy of Freedom and how do you walk it? |
This review of The Philosophy of Freedom below mentions the free spiritual activity described within the book as the "appropriate and available cognitive path for human beings today". It is a step by step path "leading from ordinary thinking to the level of pure spiritual activity-intuitive thinking".
Of all his books, Rudolf Steiner himself believed this work would have the longest life. Written just one hundred years ago, as a phenomenological account of "results of observing the human soul according to the methods of natural science," this seminal work asserts that free spiritual activity-understood as the human ability to think intuitively, independent of physical nature-is the appropriate and available cognitive path for human beings today.
Readers will find no abstract philosophy here, but rather a step-by-step account of how a person may come to experience living, intuitive thinking: "the conscious experience of a purely spiritual content."
Over the last century, many have sought to discover the "new thinking" that could help us understand the various spiritual, ecological, social, political, and philosophical issues facing us, but only Rudolf Steiner laid down a path leading from ordinary thinking to the level of pure spiritual activity-intuitive thinking-where we become co-creators and co-redeemers of the world.
I did an internet search of Rudolf Steiner and cognition and what I found everywhere was that Rudolf Steiner's path of cognition was Knowledge of Higher Worlds. Here is an example where POF isn't even mentioned.
Anthroposophy is an answer to the human need to develop a relationship to the world not perceptible with human senses. Many people nowadays try to understand human spirituality and its connection with the cosmos. Anthroposophy, founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925), shows them a way how one can broaden his/her abilities of perception and cognition. This process is described by Steiner in his book "Knowledge of the Higher Worlds", "Theosophy" and "Occult Science".
This lead to asking the question as to why The Philosophy of Freedom has been ignored as a path while Knowledge of Higher Worlds gets so much attention. A simple answer is that Knowledge has a series of clearly explained exercises that can be taken up. What is the path of POF that can be taken up?
POF also has a series of exercises in the form of introspective observations. Within the philosophic discussions of various philosophers and difficult reading these step by step observations are easily missed. So I have been thinking as part of a new Philosophy of Freedom study course these observations could be highlighted to assist the reader to recognize and practice these observations. This would result in a step by step path of self-awareness, "Know Thyself".
The development of a new study course will be done on an on site WIKI to encourage a collaborative effort. Course features that come to mind are the:
(1) step by step series of self observations
(2) some explanation as to how this relates to free spiritual activity
(3) a contemporary biography as an example of the topic
I was not setting forth a doctrine, but simply recording inner experiences through which I had actually passed. And I reported them just as I experienced them.” -RS
Excited
This sounds like such an exciting project Tom, and I feel this would be such a good way to get people involved in really working with POF. I remember when I first truly got involved with this website that I asked you for help getting into the live meeting room, (I now have a laptop, which is much more up to date)to be in readiness for what might go on there, as it felt that this would be a way of really connecting with other people.
Ever since you brought up the Wiki idea, I have been reading more about it, and I loved the short video that explained how it works. It seems to be the perfect way for people to collaborate and gather together some really interesting ideas, and resources, and to record our experiences.
If there is anything I can do to help I am more than willing. (Nothing technical of course, but then luckily there is the uber supremo Louie and yourself for that part of it)
This website sparkles. Thank you.
Carol
Application of POF: Moral Intuition, Imagination, and Technique
The most effective application of The Philosophy of Freedom for myself is to work with Moral Intuition, Moral Imagination, and Moral Technique on an everyday basis. These three things have supported my everyday efforts to reach for my highest ideal, imagine creative solutions, and transform life situations in a healthy way. Not a day goes by where I don't consciously work with these three aspects of spiritual activity.
They are a spiritual scientific approach that can be applied by anyone irregardless of background, philosophy, or belief system. If these three concepts were understood and applied to the best of ones ability it would certainly transform the world. They can be quickly grasped in an introduction and further deepened through a life of study and practice. You need not know anything about Steiner and need not join any organization to benefit from their use.
I wonder if a study course on POF could be built around these three ideas?
Moral Intuition
POF 9-5
[24] Among the levels of characterological disposition, we have singled out as the highest the one that works as pure thinking or practical reason. Among the motives, we have just singled out conceptual intuition as the highest. On closer inspection it will at once be seen that at this level of morality driving force and motive coincide; that is, neither a predetermined characterological disposition nor the external authority of an accepted moral principle influences our conduct. The action is therefore neither a stereotyped one which merely follows certain rules, nor is it one which we automatically perform in response to an external impulse, but it is an action determined purely and simply by its own ideal content.
[25] Such an action presupposes the capacity for moral intuitions. Whoever lacks the capacity to experience for himself the particular moral principle for each single situation, will never achieve truly individual willing.
[26] Kant's principle of morality -- Act so that the basis of your action may be valid for all men -- is the exact opposite of ours. His principle means death to all individual impulses of action. For me, the standard can never be the way all men would act, but rather what, for me, is to be done in each individual case.
Moral Imagination
POF 12-2
[3] Man produces concrete mental pictures from the sum of his ideas chiefly by means of the imagination. Therefore what the free spirit needs in order to realize his ideas, in order to be effective, is moral imagination. This is the source of the free spirit's action. Therefore it is only men with moral imagination who are, strictly speaking, morally productive. Those who merely preach morality, that is, people who merely spin out moral rules without being able to condense them into concrete mental pictures, are morally unproductive. They are like those critics who can explain very intelligibly what a work of art ought to be like, but who are themselves incapable of even the slightest productive effort.
Moral Technique
POF 12-3
[4] Moral imagination, in order to realize its mental picture, must set to work in a definite sphere of percepts. Human action does not create percepts, but transforms already existing percepts and gives them a new form. In order to be able to transform a definite object of perception, or a sum of such objects, in accordance with a moral mental picture, one must have grasped the principle at work within the percept picture, that is, the way it has hitherto worked, to which one wants to give a new form or a new direction. Further, it is necessary to discover the procedure by which it is possible to change the given principle into a new one. This part of effective moral activity depends on knowledge of the particular world of phenomena with which one is concerned. We shall, therefore, look for it in some branch of learning in general. Moral action, then, presupposes, in addition to the faculty of having moral ideas (moral intuition) and moral imagination, the ability to transform the world of percepts without violating the natural laws by which these are connected. This ability is moral technique. It can be learnt in the same sense in which any kind of knowledge can be learnt. Generally speaking, men are better able to find concepts for the existing world than to evolve productively, out of their imagination, the not-yet-existing actions of the future. Hence it is perfectly possible for men without moral imagination to receive such mental pictures from others, and to embody them skillfully into the actual world. Conversely, it may happen that men with moral imagination lack technical skill, and must make use of other men for the realization of their mental pictures.
[5] In so far as knowledge of the objects within our sphere of action is necessary for acting morally, our action depends upon such knowledge. What we are concerned with here are laws of nature. We are dealing with natural science, not ethics.
The 3 M's
Hi Tom
This is so exciting, where should we begin? I like your idea of the 3 moral faculties, though they aren't introduced until the second half of the book. But they must surely be part of our effort here. For Moral Intuition must show our path, Moral Imagination populate it with the mental images of possible tasks, and Moral Technique allow us to do them effectively.
One of my concerns, as you know, is to keep extraneous anthroposophical concepts as far as possible outside the main part of this study course. This is hard because they have become part of the way we look at the world. (I don't mean that these concepts, such as astral body, reincarnation, etc. are extraneous to life, but only to this book, since they were only brought out later.) I'd like to put this forth as a principle, wondering if everyone else would think it was a good idea. In any case, it's how I intend to work, as if the book and its contents were meant to stand on their own, and in the order in which they're given.
Lori
lori: great idea
for so many reasons! My first thought is just thinking of the fact that so many people will be eyeballing whatever is developing. The people who will be alienated by those concepts might be perfect for the conversation. And anybody who absolutely needs to talk about astral bodies when exploring PoF probably would enjoy one of the many other anthro sites...
But most importantly, for me, is just the desire to be as conscious as possible as to the source of the mental pictures we share in conversation. Anyway, I second your suggestion.gulp
terminology
Intuition first appears in Chapter 5. A foundation is built before moral intuition is presented in chapter 9. A lot of ground work is done so when moral intuition appears in chapter 9 we can understand that "such an action presupposes the capacity for moral intuitions".
Often a person may wonder why the book is presenting such and such not knowing that a foundation is being built. It may be helpful to first present Intuition, Imagination, and Technique and relate this to the foundation building. We don't have to follow philosophy rules of presentation.
Or things could be continuously related to a common theme such as spiritual activity. The way to find out what will work may be to put together an outline of a book presentation. This may be better than posting all the section pages right away. Rather post an outline that could be worked with to get a feel of how to link the whole.
Language will need to be examined. Certainly we wouldn't want to bring in new unfamilar theosophy or other odd terms. But we may be able to stay within POF but find some new contemporary words that the public could relate to. I can't thnk of any examples but we could watch for such opportunities.
Lipson, POF translator, says Steiner avoided a "fixed" terminology shifting meaning without indicating his shifts. Lipson has praised this approach as causing us to "develop an especially active style of reading". We know where the shifts are because we know when he shifts from one outlook to another so we can use words that have meaning and do away with the other nonsense.
Here is my principle suggestion: Develop and remain within a book nomenclature (system of words used in a particular discipline).
Chapter outline
We may want a page with a chapter outline. I believe a single theme exist that connects all thoughts in the book. That is usually the books title. So wouldn't it be "spiritual Activity"?
A chapter outline would show in what way each chapter was connected to the main theme and how each chapter is connected to the next chapter.
The way I approach that is look at the 12 views in a chapter and ask 12 views of what? I would also want to look at what some other authors who have written about POF say.
Spiritual Activity, Freedom and Freehood
I am no expert in German but I recall from my reading of translators' forewords etc. that the German title "Die Philosophie der Freiheit" contains a problematic word "Freiheit" which could be literally translated as "freehood" but was initially translated as "freedom" in English.
Then Steiner asked that it be retranslated as "spiritual activity". This was because of the alleged problem (according to Steiner) that English-speaking people especially were inclined to believe that they were already free, that freedom did not need to be worked for.
If we follow Steiner in this then maybe the theme could also be stated as "freedom as spiritual activity"?
That would also connect with the relatively modern idea of spiritual practice/spirituality as an individual matter that is not subject to any religious dogma. It also connects with modern ideas such as "Theory U" as expounded by Scharmer, Senge and others which emphasise the importance of truly successful managers (for example) having an individual spiritual practice and an ongoing commitment to self-development rather than merely focussing on some set of external rules for "success" which can so easily become just another framework for egotism, exploitation and abuse.
And Theory U, as some would be aware, is strongly based in an awareness of the anthroposophical world-view without utilising most of its (useful but sometimes alienating) terminology.
This would then also open opportunities for examples from the biographies of different individuals contemporary and more ancient as you've already suggested in the context of the idea of spiritual striving, levels of morality and so on.
Thinking and PoF
Hi Tom,
The idea of exercises based on the levels of morality sounds good to me. I guess the tricky bit would be building up to it in the right way to ensure people don't attach the wrong ideas to the morality exercises.
Powerlessness
The thought has come to me that when we feel powerless in the face of a real life situation, we are awakening to our uncultivated capacity for moral technique.
The feeling of helplessness is evoked by the sense that it is possible for something to be done, but what? In one's own life the sense that 'my karma has given me an opportunity for transformation here' is similarly deeply rooted. My feeling of insufficiency could not arise unless a sense is also present that something is possible.
This can be a mighty motivator to take up such work as Tom is suggesting here.
New Study Course Group
I opened a new group that will begin developing a new study course. If you scroll up and click on "website" in the box on the right side of this page it will take you there.
On the home page an outline is forming. Soon some POF section pages will go up starting with chapter 7. It is an editors group but more editors will be invited as it seems appropriate. Anyone is encouraged to add comments with suggestions to this and future threads.
Please invite me
Dear Tom,
Please invite me when it seems appropriate!
Contemporary POF
Everyone will be able to add comments and suggestions as the pages go up for the new study course project. Those who get into it and have the need to add things on the pages themselves will be given editing ability.
Presenting a contemporary POF is very difficult but a necessity at this time as it can have a real impact in the world if it becomes known and practiced.