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Free Online Study Course: 
Introduction To The Philosophy Of Freedom: Mastering The Content
As the foundation study of Rudolf Steiner's path to inner freedom, The Philosophy Of Freedom is a must read by anyone involved in the work of Rudolf Steiner. But most find it difficult to get through the book, so this course is intended to support the reader. It consists of study, quizzes, a discussion forum, and posting your written or artistic response. This course may be accepted as credit to fulfill the Philosophy of Freedom course requirement at Waldorf Teacher Training Centers. It is being offered free at this time during its creation. Use the 'contact' link for questions.
You may start the course now.

Chapter 1 Study Pages and 5 Quizzes
Study Course Progress Report

Textbook: Rudolf Steiner’s Philosophy Of Freedom also entitled The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity and Intuitive Thinking As A Spiritual Path.

Contact: Questions? Use the website “contact” tab or go to this link to contact Tom Last: www.philosophyoffreedom.com/contact

Course Description: An introduction to the concepts of the Philosophy of Freedom such as percept, concept, mental picture, cognition, monism, moral intuition, moral imagination, moral technique, and ethical individualism. This is an online self-study course consisting of reading, quizzes, short essays, creation of art, and discussion forum. Each person works at their own pace and at their chosen time.

Who Is The Author, Rudolf Steiner?:  Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in Austria. He found his life's work in the realms of consciousness and cognition. Author of almost thirty books, Steiner also gave approximately 6,000 lectures on a wide range of subjects. Of all of his works, the Philosophy of Freedom is the one that Steiner himself believed would have the longest life and the greatest spiritual and cultural consequences. His multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, philosophy, religion, spiritual science, education (Waldorf schools), special education (the Camphill movement), economics, agriculture (biodynamics), science, architecture, and the arts (drama, speech and eurythmy).

Who Is This Course For?:  At the portal to the temple in ancient times the student met the challenge: "Know Thyself." In this sense The Philosophy of Freedom may be regarded as a modern temple in which self-knowledge may be found. This course is an introduction to the book for beginners and a chance for a more thorough study for those who have previously read it. Here are some of the reasons for taking this course.

• Waldorf Teacher Training: Completion of this course may be accepted as credit to fulfill the Philosophy of Freedom course requirement at Waldorf Teacher Training Centers.
• Study Group: Members of a Philosophy of Freedom study group or college course
• Foundation Principles: You will learn the basic principles that support all of Rudolf Steiner’s work as The Philosophy of Freedom is his foundation book.
• Increase Self-Awareness: Steiner did not set forth a doctrine in the book, but rather describes his results of inner self-observation.  By looking within ourselves for similar experience we  increase our self-awareness.
  
• Thought Training Exercise: Modern life rarely demands of us the ability to think.  With proper study (more below) the book serves as a thought training for the deepening of intuitive thinking just as physical exercise is required to strengthen the physical body.
  
• Path To Freedom: Through increasing self-knowledge and deepening intuitive capacity we gain more freedom from those things that may compel our thinking and action.
  

Challenges Facing The Reader: Two major challenges face the reader of The Philosophy of Freedom. The first is the special way the book is written. The second is the special way it needs to be read. If these challenges are met the book will open up into a wellspring of the warm, luminous, and deeply penetrating experience of intuitive thinking. If not the reader will find a tangle of thought which holds little meaning for them.

The Philosophy of Freedom is written and its thoughts organized in a way different from ordinary books. It has not been a popular book for those looking for easy reading and final summations. The way it is written discourages the passive collecting of information and instead encourages conscious pondering and questioning. While the descriptions given in the book are of value, developing the practice of the proper reading of the book has the benefit of being an inner thought training. While reading The Philosophy of Freedom you can decide to read attentively and struggle to understand or you can let your attention wander. You may half get some points, awaken again with effort, then lapse into partial focus. At each moment you are deciding whether to think or not. The book involves the reader, page by page, in an awakened state of thinking.

Right Reading is a special way to read this book involving hard work, thorough reading, and contemplative insight. The thoughts in the book are placed in a special sequence so that when they are rethought by the reader they take effect. By deeply entering into and following the thoughts with understanding while maintaining a contemplative approach the text will begin to speak and reveal itself in the intuitive experience of the reader. The writing is many layered and can be understood on many levels. A study session may begin with ordinary thinking but with sufficient effort and proper reading may advance to the experience of intuitive thinking. Applying Right Reading to the special thought-structure of The Philosophy of Freedom is a thought training exercise for the development and deepening of intuitive thinking. The cultivation of this new thinking could help us understand the various spiritual, ecological, social, political, and philosophical issues facing us today.

Course Overview: This course is the first of two online courses to practice Right Reading of The Philosophy of Freedom. Right Reading is a special way to read this book involving hard work, thorough reading, and contemplative insight. Both courses will work on two aspects of Right Reading, comprehension and contemplation. Course 1 will focus more on basic reading comprehension by learning the key terms used. The next step is Course 2 which will focus more on contemplation of the deeper thought-structure of the book. Says Goethe: To have the whole in your heart, you must have conned its every part. To which Rudolf Steiner has added: First read for substance, then read again for form.

Course 1: Introduction To The Philosophy Of Freedom: Mastering The Content
Goal: Learn the key terms in the book to improve basic reading comprehension. This helps to better rethink the thoughts in the book leading to things being revealed in an experience of intuitive insight.

• Work toward entering the thoughts in understanding.
• Follow closely  the thought sequence from one thought to the next.
• Eliminate the arbitrariness of personal preference and emphasis.
• Carry out the observations described in the text for oneself.
• Try each time, to read the text as if it were the first time.
• Notice what you do not understand for these are learning opportunities.
• To read deeply and thoroughly with concentration will naturally be a slower reading.
• Reading slowly increases the possibility something happens, something reveals itself during the reading.
• Read a part and work through it before moving ahead as upcoming reading is built upon previous reading.
• Steep yourself in the books content, then muse in what is developed there.
• Making notes or sketches can be helpful.
• Condense a part down to its main idea.
• Express the chapter content in your own words or by some other artistic presentation.

Course 2: The Thought-Structure Of The Philosophy Of Freedom: Thinking Contemplation Of The Thought Relationships Course 2 will be offered at a later date.
Prerequisite: Course 1: Introduction To The Philosophy Of Freedom: Mastering The Content
Goal: Contemplate the relationships between thoughts and the books holistic thought-structure. This practice deepens intuitive capacity further. 

• Thinking Contemplation is  becoming completely absorbed in the reading giving no attention to your own thoughts. Your attention is on the thoughts in the text you are following.
• All the thoughts in the book are part of one thought-structure. By looking deeply into the thoughts the relationship between the thoughts and their relationship to the whole is found.
• Express your findings in your own words or by artistic presentation.

Learning Objectives:
Apply a careful and thorough study approach (Right Reading) to The Philosophy of Freedom
(demonstrated by passing quizzes).
Express the contemplative results of Right Reading of The Philosophy of Freedom (demonstrated by posting a short essay or work of art depicting key themes for each chapter).

Course Requirements:
Anyone may take the course and select what part of the course they want to complete. But in order to receive a Certificate which may fulfill the Philosophy of Freedom course requirement at Waldorf Teacher Training Centers the following requirements must be met:

• Pass the learning Quizzes covering key terms found in the chapter (75% to pass). You may retake the quizzes until you pass.
• Post a short essay, work of art, or better yet both for each of the 14 chapters. Share your insight into a chapter theme or give an example how the chapter concepts apply in a real world setting.
• Maximum completion time of the course is 18 months. (can be done in 14 weeks or less)

Learning Quizzes: The multiple choice question quizzes are learning quizzes because each of the multiple choice answers add meaning to the question and may be considered right, but the correct answer is the one closest to the answer found in the Philosophy of Freedom text being quizzed. A 75% quiz score passes. You may retake the quiz if you don't pass. It is a learning quiz because each of the answers listed could be considered right.

Registration: When you register to this website  www.philosophyoffreedom.com you are also registered to take the course. Registration will give you a profile page. At the top of your profile page is a tab that says “My Results”. The quizzes are automatically scored with the results posted in your profile if you login before taking the quiz.

Short Essay or Verse: On the link band at the top of the website pages is a link that says “My Journal”. Short chapter essays will be posted to the front page of the website in a Journal. All your Journal posts will be listed in your profile.

Work Of Art: You may post a photo of art work you have completed in a Journal. Or you can create a sketch online using the Drawing Tool and it will be posted to the website.

Discussion Forum: On the link band at the top of the website pages is a link that says “Forum”. Each chapter of The Philosophy of Freedom has a separate forum for questions and comments.

Course Credit: You will receive a Certificate verifying your completion of the course requirements which may be accepted as credit to fulfill the Philosophy of Freedom course requirement at Waldorf Teacher Training Centers.

Time Of Completion: This is a self-study course with each person working at their own pace. A busy person could take a new chapter each week and complete the course in 14 weeks or with more time available it could be done sooner. Each chapter will require several hours for thorough reading; extra study of the key terms listed that will be part of the quiz; taking of the chapter quizzes; and time to write a brief essay or produce a sketch. To be awarded a certificate the maximum completion time of the course is 18 months.

Optional supplementary materials:
The Theory of Knowledge Implicit in Goethe's World Conception by Rudolf Steiner
Truth And Knowledge by Rudolf Steiner