The question of freedom has supporters and opponents. The following is a list of freedoms described in Chapter 1 followed by the description of experience in support of and opposed to freedom. This is done in an attempt to aid the reader in making a self assessment of the question of freedom in their own life through self-observation.
| Chapter 1 Conscious Human Action Summary 1-0 The Question of Freedom Is the human being in their thinking and acting a spiritually free being? Is the human being compelled by the iron necessity of purely natural law? 1-1 Freedom of Indifferent Choice (support) Choosing, at one's pleasure, one or other of two possible courses of action (opposed) We are always compelled by a perfectly definite reason. 1-2 Freedom Of Choice Make a choice according to our own wants and preferences. Internal perception reveals we are not free to desire or not desire arbitrarily. 1-3 Freedom To Act From Our Own Nature To exist and act from the pure necessity of our own nature. Our existence is our own essence and nature. Necessarily determined by external causes to exist and act in a fixed and definite manner. 1-4 Freedom From External Impulses An idea given from outside is made into a motive only if it is in accord with one's character. A mental picture is made into a motive according to the necessity of our characterological disposition. 1-5 Consciousness Of The Motive The one who acts out of knowledge. The knower who has been separated from the doer. 1-6 Free When Controlled By Reason To determine one's life and action by purposes and deliberate decisions. A rational decision emerges in me with the same necessity with which hunger and thirst arise. 1-7 Free To Do As One Wills Man is free do as he wills, but he cannot direct his will as he choses, because his willing is determined by motives. I am compelled to act on a motive because it proves to be the "strongest" of its kind. 1-8 Volition That Is Unconditioned The volition is the cause of the donkey's turning round, but is itself unconditioned; it is an absolute beginning. We do not perceive the causes that determine our will, so we think it is not causally determined at all. 1-9 Knowledge Of An Action Thinking activity must be recognized if we are to form a concept of knowledge about an action. An action, of which the agent does not know why he performs it, cannot be free. 1-10 Action Springs From The Heart The heart, the mood of the soul (sensibility), hold sway, The heart and the mood of the soul do not create the motives. They presuppose them and let them enter. 1-11 Love Of Another Love depends upon how idealistic the mental pictures are we form of the loved one. Appearance in my consciousness of a mental picture determines whether compassion is aroused. 1-12 Perception Of Good Qualities Love is theirs because they have noticed and made a mental picture of the good qualities. Love makes us blind to the failings of the loved one. |
Finding a home in Chapter One
In a former incarnation of this study group, Tom asked us to look for one of the sections that we felt most at home with, as far as the ideas about freedom expressed in it. The first step he suggested was to look at the first four viewpoints, which are (to my mind) like the skeleton on which the other viewpoints hang, sort of like the roses on the cross of the Rose Cross Meditation. I found that of those four I identified most with "Spiritism," because I've always felt fairly dogmatic about the idea that underneath all the stupid things we say and do and want, the real true self within us longs for unity with the Divine.
The next step he suggested was to look again at all the viewpoints; perhaps we would find something on either side of the main viewpoint we had identified with. This is what I wrote then:
"I've pretty much decided that in the first chapter, I must side with the Pneumatists. That's because, for me, the one absolutely central fact of life is that we have to choose a world view, and that choice will shape our entire existence. If we don't choose a good one, then we'll be handed a bad one. And if we choose a bad one, we'll end up living it out.
"Because of my character, I knew that I'd pursue whatever worldview I adopted to the very end. And the end is a vision, which you must then spend the rest of your life (assuming there is anymore to spend) translating into activity, or art, or, in my case, words. So I wanted the absolutely biggest, best, most beautiful, warmest, most compassionate, most endlessly fascinating worldview that could ever be, one that also contained all the other world views inside it. That is Anthroposophy!
"The reason I side with the Pneumatists here is that I couldn't care less about where that desire and that choice come from. For me it is an absolutely unconditioned beginning, and I'm not interested in whether something made me choose it. I am squarely on the side of that donkey headed back to the barn, perfectly content to be that donkey, the donkey who is learning how to think!"
That was what I wrote two years ago; today I'd probably change a few things about it, but the main idea would essentially be the same. After writing it, I noticed that the astrological sign Steiner associates with Pneumatism is Aquarius. Which is an odd coincidence, because that's my sun sign. And, because Aquarians are known to be (among other things) absent-minded airheads, I wondered if Pneumatism didn't mean (among other things!) that too.
I still can't get a grip on how the word Pneumatism comes to mean what it's supposed to represent. It still makes me think of a kind of person described in one of the "Chronicles of Narnia" as vegetarians who wear special underwear and have to sleep with the windows open. But having done this exercise of trying to find something closest to my own point of view in the first chapter, I do feel more connected with the chapter. As a person who relies most of all on adding feeling to concepts, I found this valuable, and fun!
My Twelve Freedoms
The other day while thinning lettuce in the greenhouse I amused myself by working backwards and forwards in my memory through the chapter sections in terms of various freedoms and condemnations. (I call them "condemnations" because it's a juicy dramatic word, and also because Sartre used it in his saying that we are "condemned to freedom.") I usually need to write as I think, but Tom's article about Stephen Hawking has impressed me so much about what a crutch that is! Maybe I could take a tiny step toward Hawking's emancipation of thinking from writing!
Free to create the mental pictures that arouse love
Condemned to love only what I perceive as lovable
Free to feel love and compassion in response to mental pictures
Condemned to feel love and compassion in response to mental pictures
Free to invite motives to channel my soul energies
Condemned to channel my soul energies toward motives supplied by others
Free to understand the origin and meaning of thinking
Condemned to ignorance of the origin and meaning of thinking
Free to make my own motives transparent
Condemned to the opacity of my own motives
Free to act on my motives
Condemned to act on the strongest motive
Free to light my motives with rationality
Condemned to follow narrowly rational motives
Free to be the knowing doer
Condemned to the separation between knowing and doing
Free to adopt ideas as motives in accordance with my character
Condemned to the limitations of my character
Free to follow the divine necessity of my nature
Condemned to follow the divine necessity of my nature
Free to choose what I desire
Condemned to desire what I must desire
Free to choose without desire, at random
Condemned to choose according to a definite reason
As I write these now, I can't help but notice that some of the freedoms and condemnations are exactly alike, and others are very similar. I also see that a lot of ideas in the chapter are left out and others could be rephrased. But all in all, it's a good working document to have in my inner library, so I can notice more about where my different actions and beliefs fit in. And I feel happy to possess it!
Compelled Thinking
Chapter 1 can be viewed as a description of Compelled Thinking. In this way each world-outlook is prone to having their thinking compelled in a certain manner. The Materialist at this level is very unconscious so their thinking is always compelled according to a preexisting "definite reason" that can be determined by science.
The Spiritist, resulting from having a more inward nature, is determined by the early indications of individuality, their own desire.
The Realist is determined by the external world, external causes. While the Idealist is determined within by the ideas of their character. The list goes on through the various world-outlooks who all have a particular narrow focus that determines what has the strongest influence upon them.
1-1 Materialist: Determined by reasons
1-2 Spiritist: Compelled by desire
1-3 Realist: Determined by external causes
1-4 Idealist: Necessity of characterological disposition
1-5 Mathematist: Determined by existing conscious motives
1-6 Rationalist: Rational decision emerges with necessity
1-7 Psychism: Compelled by strongest motive
1-8 Pnumatist: Determined by invisible causes
1-9 Monadist: Determined by use of thinking activity (such as world-view, origin)
1-10 Dynamist: Compelled by emotions
1-11 Phenomenalist: Determined by appearance of mental pictures
1-12 Sensationalist: Blinded by love
Sensationalist II
Or maybe a sensationalist could also be someone who was terrified of being blinded by love, and so could never open his heart to it. Especially if he'd had a bad experience before.
Sensationalist
But the sensationalist could also be unable to love until something struck him as loveable! I was in this mode yesterday when I was visiting a friend and felt really bored. We were actually at the beach, which I rarely visit, and never want to just sit there uncomfortably in the sand, which is what we were doing because the friend's three-year-old is allowed to decide what we do at every moment. So I was bored and irritated, and feeling that my friend at that moment was not all that loveable. I realized I was waiting for love to do something for me, instead of me doing something for it!
    In that there is
In that there is an obvious difference between an action that is based in an unconscious cause from one that is known, and that it is in conscious thought that I come to know anything, it then lies in studying the nature of thinking itself that I must begin my quest regarding the possibility for freedom.
the 12 outlooks
Thanks for this, I will be studying it together with the 12 signs.
The twelve outlooks
I have contemplated the twelve outlooks together with the associated zodiac signs and I truly like the placements together with the outlooks. At first I pondered why Materialism was associated with Cancer and not Taurus plus a few other ponders but when I associated the Light Rays to the context it was like a key that fitted perfectly - it is wonderful! I have taken the liberty of adding Rudolf Steiner's twelve senses to the outlooks - I have added them in the same order 1 to 12 (I think they match well) and thoughts on the matching senses will be appreciated. If we place them on the vernal equinox wheel with Aries at 0 degrees - we also have a good muse. I have taken the meanings of the outlooks from the dictionary although I know they are here (wasn't at my computer at the time though) -
My references are: 1. The 12 outlooks & signs, PoF website (here) 2. The World Book Dictionary, 1985, for the meanings of the outlooks. 3. Rudolf Steiner, http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/Dates/19210722p01.html Man as a Being of Sense and Perception 4. Alice Bailey & Master Djwhal Khul, Meditation and the Rhythm of the Year, 1967, The Light Rays 5. Elements, common.
... and I wrote a poem afterwards :)
1. Materialist : Cancer
Materialist – a believer in materialism. The belief that all action, thought and feeling is made up of material things and not ideas. A person who leaves out or forgets the spiritual side of things.
‘The Light within the Form’
Water: mass consciousness
Sense one: Ego Sense (to be distinguished from ego consciousness)
2. Spiritist : Capricorn
Spiritualist – The belief that spirit alone is real. The belief that the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living. A person who sees or interprets things from a spiritual point of view.
‘The Light of Initiation’
Earth: The Mountaintop
Sense two: Sense of Thought
3. Realist : Libra
Realist – A person interested in what is real and practical rather than what is imaginary or theoretical.
‘The Light that Moves to Rest’
Air: Intellectual reasoning
Sense three: Word Sense
4. Idealist : Aries
Idealist – A person who has high ideals and acts according to them. A person who neglects practical matters in following ideals. Visionary. Adherent of idealism in art, literature or philosophy.
‘The Light of Life Itself’
Fire: Inspirational and artistic
Sense four: Sense of Hearing
5. Mathematist : Gemini
Mathetic – Of or having to do with learning. To formulate something into mathematical terms.
‘The Light of Interplay’
Air: Mentally Stimulating
Sense five: Sense of Warmth
6. Rationalist : Taurus
Rationalist – A person who accepts as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief or conduct. The philosophical theory that reason is in itself a source of knowledge, independent of the senses. Explanation of the supernatural by reason.
‘The Penetrating Light of the Path’
Earth: Practical and Dependable
Sense six: Sense of Sight
7. Psychism : Pisces
Psychism – Outside the known laws of physics; supernatural second sight, telepathy.
‘The Light of the World’
Water: Receptive
Sense seven: Sense of taste
8. Pnumatist : Aquarius
Pneum – Spirit or soul, breath, air, wind.
‘The Light that Shines on Earth, across the Sea’
Air: Aspirational
Sense eight : Sense of Smell
9. Monadist : Sagittarius
Monad – Single cell, atom. Philosophical theory that the universe is composed of and controlled by minute, simple entities.
‘A Beam of Directed Focused Light’
Fire: Energetic and Excitable
Sense nine: Sense of Balance
10. Dynamist : Scorpio
Dynamist – Philosophical systems which seek to explain the phenomena of nature by the action of some force.
‘The Light of Day’
Water: Romantic and Sympathetic
Sense ten: Sense of Movement
11. Phenomenalist : Virgo
Phenomenalist – Theory that knowledge is attainable only through careful observation of phenomena. Doctrine that knowledge consists solely in the accumulation and manipulation of observed data. Philosophy that phenomena are realities and therefore the only possible objects of knowledge. Something that the sense or the mind takes note of, an immediate object of perception, as distinguished from a thing-in-itself.
‘The Blended Dual Light’
Water: Perception
Sense eleven: Sense of Life
12. Sensationalist : Leo
Sensationalist - The philosophy theory or doctrine that all ideas are derived solely through sensation. Aimed at arousing strong or excited feeling.
‘The Light of the Soul’
Fire: Fiery and Warm
Sense twelve : Sense of Touch.
***
The Materialist said to the Spiritist;
‘There is nothing more to life but my house’
The Spiritist replied to the Materialist;
‘Aye, but is your house not a home filled with love?’
The Realist said to the Idealist;
‘My feet are firmly on the ground’
The Idealist replied to the Realist;
‘Aye, but is the ground not floating in the sky?’
The Mathematist said to the Rationalist;
‘It’s 1+1=2 … I tell you’
The Rationalist replied to the Mathematist;
Aye, but where does the 1 and 1 to make 2 come from?’
The Psychismist said to the Pnumatist;
‘I see, I hear, it is everywhere’
The Pnumatist replied to the Psychismist;
‘Aye, it’s called the air and it is everywhere’
The Monadist said to the Dynamist;
‘One part of the whole … so I say’
The Dynamist replied to the Monadist;
‘Aye, propelled by a greater than that whole too!’
The Phenomenalist said to the Sensationalist;
‘I see and it is right before me’
The Sensationalist replied to the Phenomenalist;
‘Aye, and look how grand it is!’
The materialist, the spirtist, the realist, the idealist, the mathematist, the rationalist, the psychimist, the pnumatist, the monadist, the dynamist, the phenomenalist and the