"Rudolf Steiner was in fact not merely a phenomenally educated and articulate philosopher but also a Man of Destiny.... By comparison, not only with his contemporaries but with the general history of the Western mind, his stature is almost too excessive to be borne." --Owen BarfieldThe New Essential Steiner is an illuminating, completely new introduction to the philosophy and essential writings of Rudolf Steiner, introduced and e...

"Through the introduction by Michael Howard and Steiner's ten lectures, this volume offers an account of the sources and purposes of art, as well as a particularly helpful approach to art as a spiritual practice. So, far from being dated, Steiner's account of art and its relation to spiritual experience is at least contemporary and probably ahead of its time. As this book ably shows, Steiner's insights concerning art, particularly when approached and practiced as a spiritual a...

The soul's immortality and its repeated earthly births are not new ideas in Western thought. They are implicit in the Pythagorean and Platonic traditions, as well as in some branches of esoteric Judaism and Cabbala. But it was not until the early years of this century that the West was given a detailed, modern, evolutionary philosophy of human life based on the reality of reincarnation and karma.This turning point occurred when Rudolf Steiner began to make public the results of his...

"The coming of a spiritual age must be preceded by the appearance of an increasing number of individuals who are no longer satisfied with the normal intellectual, vital, and physical existence of man, but perceive that a greater evolution is the real goal of humanity and attempt to effect it in themselves, to lead others to it, and to make it the recognized goal of the race. In proportion as they succeed, and to the degree to which they carry this evolution, the yet unrealized...

10 lectures, Basel, September 15-26, 1909 (CW 114)Rudolf Steiner was born with clairvoyant capacities, but it was not until he was forty that he could connect his inner experiences with Jesus Christ. After that "solemn festival of knowledge," as he described it in his Autobiography, Steiner received ceaseless revelations about the significance of the Christ's incarnation. For the next twenty years, he spoke of the hidden background to all four gospels, the...

Few thinkers from outside the United States have touched American culture in as many ways as Rudolf Steiner. Agriculture, education, spirituality, and medicine--or more precisely, alternative practices in these fields--all bear clear marks of his influence, for those with eyes to see. Yet the very breadth of Steiner's impact has perhaps made him harder, not easier, for observers of American culture to notice.American Philosophy and Rudolf Steiner aspires to raise Steiner's...

This introduction to modern Indian thought establishes the historical context in which Indian thinkers of the past century developed their ideas, showing how those ideas comprise a coherent vision that is both Indian and contemporary. The Spirit of Modern India offers a full treatment of these ideas in an intelligible and concise approach and format.Despite a growing interest in Indian thought and life, the best writings of major twentieth-century thinkers...

5 lectures, Cologne, Dec. 28, 1912 - Jan. 1, 1913 (CW 142)9 lectures, Helsinki, May 28 - June 5, 1913 (CW 146)1 lecture, Basel, Sept. 19, 1912 (CW 139)This combination of two volumes in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works presents Steiner's profound engagement with Hindu thought and, above all, the Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as they illuminate Western Christian esotericism. In his masterly introduction, Robert McDermott, a longtime student of Rudolf St...

In the second edition of this groundbreaking text in non-Western philosophy, fifteen experts introduce some of the great philosophical traditions in the world. The dozen essays collected here unveil exciting, sophisticated philosophical traditions that are too often neglected in the western world. The contributors include the leading scholars in their fields, but they write for students coming to these concepts for the first time. Building on revisions and updates to the original essays on...

It has been suggested that 'spirituality' has become a word that 'can define an era'. Why? Because paradoxically, alongside a decline in traditional religious affiliations, the growing interest in spirituality and the use of the word in a variety of contexts is a striking aspect of contemporary western cultures. Indeed, spirituality is sometimes contrasted attractively with religion, although this is problematic and implies that religion is essentially dogma, moralism, institutions, buildi...

In this dynamic and utterly novel presentation, David Loy explores the fascinating proposition that the stories we tell—about what is and is not possible, about ourselves, about right and wrong, life and death, about the world and everything in it—become the very building blocks of our experience and of reality itself. Loy uses an intriguing mixture of quotations from familiar and less-familiar sources and brief stand-alone micro-essays, engaging the reader in challenging and illuminating ...

In this powerful, compassionate work, one of anthropology’s most distinguished ethnographers weaves together rich fieldwork with a compelling critical analysis in a book that will surely make a signal contribution to contemporary thinking about violence and how it affects everyday life. Veena Das examines case studies including the extreme violence of the Partition of India in 1947 and the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In a major de...