Anthroposophy and Ecofascism 35

Continuing my commentary on the 10th paragraph of Peter Staudenmaier's Anthroposophy and Ecofascism. In Steiner's view Anthroposophy is not exclusive. On the other hand, no one is obligated to walk this path.

"No one is exhorted to become an occultist; one must come to occultism of one's own volition. Whoever says that we do not need occultism will not need to occupy himself with it. At this time, occultism does not appeal to mankind in general. In fact, it is extremely difficult in the present culture to submit to those rules of conduct which will open the spiritual world."

Rudolf Steiner. Esoteric Development. New York: Anthroposophic Press, 1982. Pages 2-3. Lecture of December 7 th, 1905 (GA 54).

Further, Anthroposophy is comprehensible to anyone, precisely thorough logic.

"These facts [spiritual truths] have been investigated and communicated, and they can be grasped by healthy human intelligence, if this healthy intelligence will be unprejudiced enough not to base its conclusions wholly on what goes by the name of proof, logical deduction, and the like, in regard to the outer sense world. On account of these hindrances it is frequently stated that unless someone is able oneself to investigate supersensible worlds, one cannot understand the results of supersensible research." (Page 81)

"Once again I would like to emphasize: if these things are investigated, everyone who approaches the results with an unprejudiced mind can understand them with ordinary, healthy human reason –just as he can understand what astronomers or biologists have to say about the world. The results can be tested, and indeed one will find that this testing is the first stage of initiation-knowledge. For initiation-knowledge, one must first have an inclination towards truth, because truth not untruth and error, is one's object." (Page 101)

Rudolf Steiner. "Esoteric Development." New York: Anthroposophic Press, 1982. From GA 305, Lecture of September 20 th 1922.

For the purposes of propaganda writing, throwing words like "privileged few" (a catch phrase long savored by propagandists of the left) is doubtless effective. However, it does not accurately represent Steiner’s vision of Anthroposophy.