Rudolf Steiner Audio CW 164 The Value of Thinking: Lecture 7 [third lecture of second section] (Dornach, 2 October 1915) by Rudolf Steiner
Sep 7, 2024
Rudolf Steiner delves into the defense of spiritual science against scientific skeptics, illuminating the pitfalls of purely materialistic views. He explores the vast implications of measurement, highlighting its limits in understanding consciousness and afterlife. The transition from materialism to the concept of energy as a unifying force is examined, alongside the connection between numerical laws and living phenomena. Steiner also contrasts Jesus' teachings with organized Christianity, revealing the tension between spiritual insights and institutional dogma.
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Measurement Creates Objective Yet Limited Truth
- Measurement detaches observation from the observer, creating objective knowledge distinct from subjective feeling.
- But empirical measurement always retains error limits and cannot reach the certainty of mathematical or logical truths.
Mathematics Gives Absolute, Experience Gives Conditional
- Logical and mathematical truths derive from pure thinking and offer absolute validity once axioms are accepted.
- Empirical conclusions built on sensory facts remain conditional within observational error limits.
Laws Simplify Experience Beyond Individual Cases
- Natural laws are inferred by simplifying varied observations into common formulas that transcend single cases.
- Scientists must remain aware of the conditions and limits under which such laws hold true.
