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  • RUDOLF STEINER
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  • SOCIAL QUESTIONS AND ECONOMICSRUDOLF STEINER

    AWAKENING TO COMMUNITY

    AWAKENING TO COMMUNITY

    "We are firmly in our understanding of things of the spirit only when we do not rest content with abstract spiritual concepts and a capacity to express them theoretically, but instead grow into a sure belief that higher beings are present with us in a community of spirit when we engage in spiritual study. No external measures can bring about anthroposophical community-building. You have to call it forth from the profoundest depths of human consciousness." —Rudolf Steiner

    THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES

    THE CHALLENGE OF THE TIMES

    In these lectures, given just days after the end of World War I, Steiner describes the new developments in mechanics, politics, and economy, as well as new capacities and methods in the West and the East. He reveals their fruitful potentials, but also the dangers of their abuse. He discusses social and antisocial instincts, specters of the Old Testament in the nationalism of the present, and the innate capacities of various nations.

    CONSCIOUS SOCIETY

    CONSCIOUS SOCIETY

    Anthroposophy and the Social Question

    Delivered in the context of post-war cultural and social chaos, these lectures form part of Rudolf Steiner’s energetic efforts to cultivate social understanding and renew culture through his innovative ideas based on ‘threefolding’. Steiner develops a subtle and discerning perception of how social dynamics could change and heal if they were founded on real insight into our threefold nature as individuals, social beings and economic participants in the world. He doesn’t offer a programmatic agenda for change, but a real foundation from which change can organically grow.

    THE ESOTERIC ASPECT OF THE SOCIAL QUESTION

    THE ESOTERIC ASPECT OF THE SOCIAL QUESTION

    The Individual and Society

    Although recent years have seen major advances in science and technology, the social aspect of life still presents major problems for western societies. The general increase in destructive, antisocial behaviour over past decades has raised the profile of social issues, yet effective ideas to tackle the difficulties are often nowhere to be found.

    FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SOCIETAL FORCES

    FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND SOCIETAL FORCES

    Implementing the Demands of Modern Society

    Freedom of Thought and Societal Forces provides a broad overview of Steiner’s fresh thinking on "social threefolding". He acknowledged that the demand for social change, derived above all from the working class, whom industrialization had forced into a kind of indentured life dominated by economics. From Steiner's perspective, the underlying issue was not only economic, however, but also spiritual or cultural. Culture and the cultured classes had become estranged from "real life". Society needed a "free" culture that would include all classes. It also needed to shift labour into the legal sphere of rights, the only place where workers could find real freedom in society. Capital, too, needed to be liberated from egotism and allowed, like goods, simply to circulate. Above all, Steiner understood that social realities could not be separated from the spiritual realities of human existence.

    PAST AND FUTURE IMPULSES

    PAST AND FUTURE IMPULSES

    in Societal Events

    Barely four months after the end of the First World War, with Europe in chaos and exhausted from years of conflict, Rudolf Steiner offered these lectures of hope and renewal. Despite continuing social troubles around the world, he knew that human beings had an opportunity to organize society in a new way. Steiner responded to this prospect by giving suggestions for creating innovative social structures that are in harmony with people’s inner needs.

    PROBLEMS OF SOCIETY

    PROBLEMS OF SOCIETY

    An Esoteric View, From Luciferic Past to Ahrimanic Future

    ‘Whatever turbulent outward events occur in the world, whatever form is taken by things seeking to work their way out of the depths of human evolution, we only really hearken to the true, underlying nature of these events ... if we observe the world from a spiritual perspective.’ – Rudolf Steiner

    RETHINKING ECONOMICS

    RETHINKING ECONOMICS

    Lectures and Seminars on World Economics

    Rudolf Steiner gave this complex sequence of dense, subtle, multileveled lectures and seminars to students of economics in Dornach, Switzerland, during the summer of 1922. The course reflects a lifetime of thinking on the subject and marks the conclusion of his intense five-year period of activism in the service of social, political, and economic issues.

    SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

    SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

    An Introductory Reader

    Psychological cognition; The social question; The social question and theosophy; Memoranda of 1917; The metamorphosis of intelligence; Culture, law and economy; Central Europe between East and West.

    THE SOCIAL FUTURE

    THE SOCIAL FUTURE

    Culture, Equality, and the Economy

    In 1919, shortly after World War I, the structure of society and the economy, both in Germany and globally, became a primary concern of Rudolf Steiner. In addition to writing The Threefold Social Order, in which he presented his ideas for social renewal, Steiner also gave lecture courses that year, including The Social Question as a Question of Consciousness (CW 189); Impulses of the Past and Future in Social Events (CW 190); Spiritual-Scientific Treatment of Social and Pedagogical Questions (CW 192); The Esoteric Aspect of the Social Question (CW 193); The Social Question (CW 328); as well as others and the lectures in this book, The Social Future.

    SOCIAL ISSUES

    SOCIAL ISSUES

    Meditative Thinking and the Threefold Social Order

    Paperback

    In these exciting lectures, Rudolf Steiner shows that today's political, economic, and social problems are symptoms of our faulty thinking. His convincing analysis of economic crises, unemployment, and political uprisings unmasks such problems as signs of our desperate need for new thinking. In a very accessible way, Steiner describes how spiritual science and the kind of thinking it fosters can lead to a renewal of society and to true freedom for individuals.

    SOCIAL THREEFOLDING

    SOCIAL THREEFOLDING

    Rebalancing Culture, Politics & Economics

    An Introductory Reader

    In the aftermath of the devastating First World War, Rudolf Steiner gained a reputation as a leading social thinker. One mainstream reviewer of his book Towards Social Renewal referred to it as ‘… perhaps the most widely read of all books on politics appearing since the war’. Steiner’s proposals for the reconstruction of Europe and the rebuilding of society’s crumbling social structure were thus publicly discussed as a serious alternative to both Communism and Capitalism.

    TOWARDS SOCIAL RENEWAL

    TOWARDS SOCIAL RENEWAL

    Rethinking the Basis of Society

    Although this book was first published in 1919, it remains highly relevant to social problems encountered today. Uniquely, Steiner's social thinking is not based on intellectual theory, but on a profound perception of the archetypal spiritual nature of social life. As he suggests in this classic work, society has three distinct realms - the economic, the political (individual human rights), and the cultural (spiritual). While social life as a whole is a unity, the autonomy of these three sectors should be respected if our increasing social problems are to be resolved.

    UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY

    UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY

    Through Spiritual-Scientific Knowledge

    Social Threefolding, Christ, Lucifer and Ahriman

    In the uncertainty following the end of the First World War, Rudolf Steiner perceived a unique opportunity to establish a healthy social and political constitution. He began lecturing throughout post-war Germany, often to large audiences, about his social ideas. Here, speaking to a more intimate grouping at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, Steiner seeks to deepen the themes of social threefolding, showing specifically how new social thinking is integral to anthroposophy.

    WHAT IS NECESSARY IN THESE URGENT TIMES

    WHAT IS NECESSARY IN THESE URGENT TIMES

    In early 1920, political, economic, social, and spiritual chaos was everywhere. The old world had fallen apart and would need to be rebuilt. Anthroposophy, too, had to be remade. Recognizing this, Rudolf Steiner worked tirelessly for the 'threefold social order', establishing the first Waldorf school, helping to create businesses, and addressing the talented, educated, and idealistic young people who were beginning to turn toward anthroposophy for answers.

  • SOCIAL QUESTIONS AND ECONOMICSOTHER AUTHORS

    GENIUS OF MONEY

    GENIUS OF MONEY

    Essays and Interviews Reimagining the Financial World

    John Bloom

    "To understand money in the deepest sense is to journey inwardly to grapple with the "money self," to become more conscious economic participants in financial transactions with the world, and last but not least, to work to meet the material needs of others so that our economic needs are met through others" work. This formulation describes a three-fold virtuous cycle, one that represents a radical transformation from our current world circumstance, which tends to revolve around and end with self-interest, unsupportable accumulation, and fear born of never-enough." - John Bloom

    HOMEMAKING AS A SOCIAL ART

    HOMEMAKING AS A SOCIAL ART

    Creating a Home for Body, Soul and Spirit

    Veronika van Duin

    In recent years, social and economic pressures have combined to affect the traditional role of the homemaker. With emphasis being placed on the world of work as opposed to the life of home, many people now struggle to fulfil several functions simultaneously. This increasingly busy and hectic climate has led to an apparent downgrading of the work of the homemaker.

    IN SEARCH OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

    IN SEARCH OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

    If not now, when?

    Torin M. Finser

    The author considers the current crisis in ethical leadership and brings his unique approach to the problems we face. He takes us on a journey of discovery by asking hard questions about the breakdown in ethics and leadership as evidenced by the shooting at Columbine, the financial debacle at Enron and other companies, as well as the recent war in Iraq.

    INHABITING INTERDEPENDENCE

    INHABITING INTERDEPENDENCE

    Being in the Next Economy

    John Bloom

    In this insightful book, John Bloom, author of The Genius of Money, explores approaches toward transforming the conventional habits of mind and practice that have led to today’s imbalance in our economic life and in society as a whole. Acknowledging that money has permeated almost every aspect of daily life—including our relationships to nature and to one another—Bloom asks:
    How and why did we arrive at our current forms of social practice, including organizational life and governance?

    LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

    LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

    Change from the Inside Out

    Torin M. Finser

    “To achieve great things two things are needed; a plan and not quite enough time.” —Leonard Bernstein

    MAKING A FAMILY HOME

    MAKING A FAMILY HOME

    Photography by Skip Hunt

    Shannon Honeybloom

    "More than merely a dwelling, the definition of home extends beyond the meaning of a house and contains an additional poetic meaning. There's the saying, 'Home is where the heart is'. Creating a home for our families can be both a challenge and a pleasure. Creating a home is a process of imbuing our space with soul and spirit, surrounding our family with love, care, comfort." - Shannon Honeybloom

    MONEY CAN HEAL

    MONEY CAN HEAL

    Evolving Our Consciousness

    Siegfried Finser

    "Siegfried Finser has written a book that will turn the world around.... This book is seminal in its clarity, impact, intelligence, and integrity. Finser writes what he has lived, which makes the book all the more potent and totally trustworthy. The clear and groundbreaking ideas of the great Rudolf Steiner come alive through this important book. Read it and live it. I give it my highest recommendation." - Lynne Twist, veteran fund-raiser, global activist, author, The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources

    THE MYSTERY OF MEETING

    THE MYSTERY OF MEETING

    Relationships as a Path of Discovery

    Steve Briault

    "Our relationships - with our family, colleagues, friends, lovers, partners - are decisive factors in our lives. More than outer success, wealth or fame, they make the difference between joy and sorrow, development and stagnation, fulfilment and frustration. They both stimulate and require us to reflect on our own initiatives and reactions. They lead us to thresholds of emotion and discovery. If we can navigate these thresholds with our eyes open, relationships can become a path of initiation, taking us beyond our self-centred isolation into new and inspiring worlds of experience."

    ORGANIZATIONAL INTEGRITY

    ORGANIZATIONAL INTEGRITY

    How to Apply the Wisdom of the Body to Develop Healthy Organizations

    Torin M. Finser, Ph.D.

    Dr Finser argues that we need a new ecology of organizations, and that now is the time for a revolution that creates dynamic, living organizations by the people and for the people. Moreover, he shows us how to achieve this seemingly impossible task by 'organ-izing' organizations. Just as democracy has transformed much of the world, through the genius of the human body we can transform organizations into living systems that serve and protect human interests.

    A ROAD TO SACRED CREATION

    A ROAD TO SACRED CREATION

    Rudolf Steiner’s Perspectives on Technology

    A Compendium, Volume 1

    Edited by Gary Lamb

    This book is a call to examine the very nature of technology and to develop practices for meeting its many challenges.

    RUDOLF STEINER AND SOCIAL REFORM

    RUDOLF STEINER AND SOCIAL REFORM

    Threefolding and other proposals

    Richard Masters

    How might we improve the way we organize society, so that human beings can live in greater peace, dignity and justice?

    SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY

    SPIRIT-LED COMMUNITY

    Healing the Impact of Technology

    Lisa Romero

    Most of us believe that our potential for inner liberation and true freedom lies in the inner world of our capacities for thinking, feeling, and self-determined will. However, discovering how unfree we actually are has always been one of the necessary steps in awakenings on the inner development path. The foundations of our inner freedom, as well as our inner unfreedom, are greatly influenced during the years of child development.

    THE FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL LAW

    THE FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL LAW

    Rudolf Steiner on the Work of the Individual and the Spirit of Community

    Peter Selg

    The healthy social life is found When in the mirror of each human being The whole community finds its reflection And when in the community The virtue of each one is living.

    THE THREEFOLDING MOVEMENT, 1919

    THE THREEFOLDING MOVEMENT, 1919

    A History

    Rudolf Steiner’s Campaign For A Self-Governing, Self-Managing, Self-Educating Society

    Albert Schmelzer

    Following the end of WW1, Germany faced a period of revolutionary upheaval and general unrest. In the midst of these tumultuous events, Rudolf Steiner’s pioneering movement for social threefolding rallied around a unique conception. Its three principal goals were to promote human rights and equality in political life, freedom in cultural life and associative cooperation in economic life. Albert Schmelzer’s engaging yet rigorous study, the most complete to date, recounts the movement’s practical attempts to bring about social threefolding in 1919, giving lively descriptions of the principal characters involved.