The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity

The following pages are a translation of Dr. Steiner's Philosophie der Freiheit, which was published in Germany some twenty years ago. The edition was soon exhausted, and has never been reprinted; copies are much sought after but very difficult to obtain.

The popularity of Dr. Steiner's later works upon ethics, mysticism, and kindred subjects has caused people to forget his earlier work upon philosophy in spite of the fact that he makes frequent references to this book and it contains the germs of which many of his present views are the logical outcome. For the above reasons, and with the author's sanction, I have decided to publish a translation.

I have had the good fortune to have been able to secure as joint translators Mrs. Hoernlé, who, after graduating in the University of the Cape of Good Hope, continued her studies in the Universities of Cambridge, Leipzig, Paris, and Bonn, and her husband, Mr. R. F. Alfred Hoernlé, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University, U.S.A., formerly Jenkyns Exhibitioner, Balliol College, Oxford, their thorough knowledge of philosophy and their complete command of the German and English languages enabling them to overcome the difficulty of finding adequate English equivalents for the terms of German Philosophy.

I am glad to seize this opportunity of acknowledging my indebtedness to these two, without whom this publication could not have been undertaken.

HARRY COLLISON.

March 1916.

EDITOR'S NOTE TO SECOND EDITION

In 1918 Dr. Steiner published a revised edition of the Philosophie der Freiheit. For the translation of the new passages added to, and of the incidental changes made in, this revised edition I am indebted to Mr. Hoernlé, now Professor of Philosophy in the Armstrong College (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), University of Durham.

At the author's request I have changed the title to Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, and throughout the entire work "freedom" should be taken to mean "spiritual activity."

Dr. Steiner's Ph. D. Thesis on "Truth and Science," originally published as a prelude to The Philosophy of Freedom, has, with his consent, been translated for this edition and been added at the end of this volume.

H. C.

March 1921.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION (1918) XI

THE THEORY OF FREEDOM

I CONSCIOUS HUMAN ACTION 1 II WHY THE DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE IS FUNDAMENTAL 14 III THOUGHT AS THE INSTRUMENT OF KNOWLEDGE 24 IV THE WORLD AS PERCEPT 48 V OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD 73 VI HUMAN INDIVIDUALITY 101 VII ARE THERE LIMITS TO KNOWLEDGE? 109

THE REALITY OF FREEDOM

VIII THE FACTORS OF LIFE 137 IX THE IDEA OF FREEDOM 146 X MONISM AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY 178 XI WORLD-PURPOSE AND LIFE-PURPOSE (THE DESTINY OF MAN) 190 XII MORAL IMAGINATION (DARWIN AND MORALITY) 198 XIII THE VALUE OF LIFE (OPTIMISM AND PESSIMISM) 213 XIV THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE GENUS 250

ULTIMATE QUESTIONS

XV THE CONSEQUENCES OF MONISM 259

TRUTH AND SCIENCE

I PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 277 II THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM OF KANT'S THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE 280 III THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE SINCE KANT 291 IV THE STARTING-POINTS OF THE THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE 304 V KNOWLEDGE AND REALITY 319 VI THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT PRESUPPOSITIONS VERSUS FICHTE'S THEORY OF SCIENCE 329 VII CONCLUDING REMARKS: EPISTEMOLOGICAL 347 VIII CONCLUDING REMARKS: PRACTICAL 351

APPENDICES