Anthroposophy

Anthroposophy, also called spiritual science by its founder, Rudolf Steiner (or, as some opponents claim, a religion), sprung from the Theosophy movement. The word is derived from the Greek words meaning man-wisdom. Anthroposophy is not to be confused with Anthropology, the scientific study of humankind.

Place in Western Philosophy

The Epistemic basis for Anthroposophy is contained in the seminal work, The Philosophy of Freedom, as well as in his doctoral thesis, Truth and Science. These and several other early books by Steiner anticipated 20th century continental philosophy's gradual overcoming of Cartesian idealism and of Kantian subjectivism. Like Edmund Husserl and Ortega y Gasset, Steiner was profoundly influenced by the works of Franz Brentano and had read Wilhelm Dilthey in depth. Through Steiner's early epistemological and philosophical works, he became one of the first European philosophers to overcome the subject-object split that Descartes, classical physics, and various complex historical forces had impressed upon the human mind for several centuries.

Related Topics:
Epistemic - Cartesian - Kantian - Edmund Husserl - Ortega y Gasset - Franz Brentano - Wilhelm Dilthey

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