Philosophy of Freedom (Continued)
We continue with the presentation of Rudolf Steiner's ideas in his work Philosophy of Freedom. We remember that the idea is that these works are an introduction to those who want to study their work and that they are an extension for those who have already read it.
On this occasion, we will continue with the chapter of The Science of Freedom.
In order to understand where we are going with this exhibition, it is convenient to know that in the following chapters of the Philosophy of Freedom (which will be presented in the following installments) Steiner will demonstrate how to learn to think we develop ethical capacity.
In this chapter Steiner clarifies the difference between monistic and dualistic philosophical positions that try to understand what knowledge is.
The following themes are presented here: The fundamental impulse towards science, thinking at the service of understanding the world, the world as perception and understanding of the world.
We will study how concepts need experience and a thinking being and how concepts are part of the known. Naive thinking maintains that things are independent of what is thought about them. The objective of this delivery is to provide elements that demonstrate that, through thought, nature knows itself.
The fundamental impulse towards science
On the subject The fundamental impulse towards science, Rudolf Steiner points out that the human being does not conform to what he perceives. He wants to understand the reasons why nature expresses itself in the way it does. The desires of the human being are not only emotional, he also has intellectual desires. You want knowledge.
We realize that we are part of nature and yet we perceive ourselves as outside of it. We can observe it and we can think of it. Consciousness separates us from nature.
This struggle demands a unity that the human being seeks through religion, art, philosophy and science. We need to relate our perceptions to the world of thoughts.
From here come all monistic and dualistic philosophical positions.
Dualism studies the separation between self and nature, between thought and things. The I is placed as a spirit against matter. Your own body is physical. All he perceives by the senses is the world, all that comes is his thought is spirit. Dualism tries to explain how there can be relationship and influence of one over another. This division prevents knowledge, because we are strangers to what we want to know.
Monism seeks to achieve other solutions . Possible options are:
- The materialism that denies that the spirit exists and affirms that its thought is only a production of matter;
- The idealism that tries to affirm that the matter is only an expression of the spirit, but this leads to dismiss all experience. It can even confuse the world of ideas with the spirit world, which ignores both matter and spirit and there is only its thought. That is, there is only the I.
- The other position is to say that matter and spirit form a unity that expresses itself in everything. But with this you return to the beginning. If the simplest unit is composed of spirit and matter, how can it remain an indivisible unit?
In the end, neither the materialist can deny the existence of the spirit, nor the idealist can deny the existence of matter. Steiner accepts that the solution is a monism, but not the monism that denies what he does not understand.
The point is that to recognize nature outside of us, we must first recognize it in us. This means that when we say I, we must recognize that we are nature by saying I.
Thought at the service of understanding the world
Steiner advances with the title Thought at the service of understanding the world. It will show the importance of observation integrated with thought. The importance of developing concepts.
The human being perceives and could stay at that level, without making an effort to observe what he thinks about his observation.
A man realizes that he elaborates concepts on his observations and these concepts can be increasingly refined. To the point where you can work only with the concepts and return to the experience to verify that your thinking is correct.
What I observe is independent of me, but the conclusions of my concepts are an internal work. They are my activity.
Why do we elaborate concepts?
The difference between the single observation and the elaboration of concepts on that observation is that the one who only observes cannot know the consequences if he does not perceive them. On the other hand, who has developed the concepts knows what is going to happen, although he does not perceive what happens later.
Let's see an example;
If we see that a billiard ball collides with another, and at that moment we cover our eyes we will not know what follows.
Unless ... we can complete the process with the concepts we already have.
If we already have the concepts developed we will know what happens next.
The relationships between cause and effect do not arise from observation, but from thought.
In other words, the relationship between thinking and observing is the most important contrast in the life of a human being.
Let's continue with the example of the billiard ball, if I am watching a ball game it may be enough for me to know who has more points and it is not important for me to use the concepts I have learned about speed, momentum, etc. However, let's imagine that I am studying these concepts in a physics class and I want to apply them to my observation. I relate my concepts of mechanics with the perception I have and I rework my concepts according to that experience. I can even participate and see what happens when I change momentum or height.
In this way an activity is created in me. I think about some external facts. I realize that concepts are not in objects but that it is an internal work.
Observation is very important, since if no one has seen a particular thing, there can be no concept about it. You can say, at school we learn concepts of things we have not seen. This is true, the point is that we trust that someone has studied it and created the concept.
Perception alone does not produce the concept, but there will be no concept of that object, without its perception.
The observation about my thinking
However, there is a very particular observation and it is the observation about my thinking.
What we usually do is observe and think about the observed.
What we don't usually do spontaneously is to reflect on our thinking. The objects I observe are already made, however, my thinking is my own production. It is my production.
To observe the thought you have to produce it first. When I look at my thought I see what I already thought, I can never analyze what I am thinking.
Steiner relates it to the Genesis phrase: "And God saw what he had done, and, behold, it was good."
First it is created and then observed. We cannot observe what does not exist. The same happens with our thinking, we observe it after it is created.
Steiner believes that only in this sense can the phrase Descartes "I think, then I exist" be accepted. I think and I know that I believe that thought.
Many of the interpretations that have been given to this phrase of Descartes, reach the absurd.
The importance of observing our thinking is that we are increasing our field of observation.
We are integrating an element that does not normally receive attention, in addition there is the qualitative change because observing what I have not created, which is the whole physical world, is different from observing my thought, which I myself have created .
To observe what I have not created, which is the whole physical world, is different from observing my thought, which I myself have created.
One more step
It is different to use our concepts to understand external reality to observe our thinking. It is one thing to think about outer objects and another thing is to think about our thinking that is inner. We do not use our senses to observe our thinking. We observe our thinking with our thinking.
To observe our thinking we must have created it. Everything outside has already been created. Thought is our own creation.
What Steiner proposes is that the closest thing to us is thought and therefore that is the tool to advance, not only in the knowledge of the world around us, but also in the knowledge of ourselves.
Thought is the tool to advance in the knowledge of ourselves.
The world as perception
Steiner enters the theme The world as perception . Thinking allows us to have concepts and ideas. Our senses immediately offer us objects, however, when we stop perceiving them we have their concepts. These concepts are relational to each other. When we have reached a high level of complexity in the relation of concepts we have the ideas.
We can say that concepts and ideas have been formed by the experience that the senses give us linked to the activity of thinking. Perception alone will not shape concepts.
Our senses immediately offer us objects, however, when we stop perceiving them we have their concepts. These concepts are related to each other. When we have reached a high level of complexity in the relation of concepts we have the ideas.
Now the observation and thinking are given in a consciousness. In a thinking consciousness. The interesting thing about this is that the one who observes is the subject and when the subject observes his thought he becomes the object of himself.
Thinking is what makes me a subject. Thinking separates me from what I observe that for me it is an object.
Perceptions are subjective.
Many times we consider our perceptions to coincide with what we observe. However, we know that if we had our sharpest senses, our perceptions would be modified and beings who have an organization different from their senses must have other perceptions.
It is important to note that perceptions allow me a representation of the object and that is the content of my mind. That is, every time I change or modify my representations the content of my I changes.
That phrase from Jos Ortega and Gasset that we have heard many times I am me and my circumstances we could relate it to I am me and the contents of my Yo or I am Me and my representations
Steiner Quote:
He naive man believes that objects, as he perceives them, also exist outside of his consciousness. But physics, physiology and psychology seem to show that for our perceptions our organization is indispensable, therefore, that we cannot know anything other than what our organization n transmits us of things .
The understanding of the world
Steiner advances to the theme Understanding the world. He begins by distinguishing the way of thinking of those who do not know that their thinking is necessary for their knowledge and believes that thinking is independent of what is observed.
Naive thinking refers to believing that thinking has nothing to do with the things we perceive. The world is already complete and there is no need to add anything. He does not realize that the concept is part of what we observe.
Just as the plant needs many elements to grow, our concept of the plant needs a consciousness that thinks about the plant. Without plant concepts we would not know anything about any plant. Even more, if nature has created thought, then thought is part of nature. If we go one step further, we have to affirm that the concept of the plant is part of the plant. Nature thinks of itself through thinking consciousness.
Rudolf Steiner clarifies this point by stating that: “The concept of the triangle that captures my mind is the same that captures the mind of the one next to me. The naive man imagines that it is he who forms his concepts. Believe, therefore, that everyone has their own concepts. It is a fundamental requirement that philosophical thinking overcome this prejudice. The uniqueness of the triangle concept does not become multiplicity because many think so. Well, the thinking of many is itself a unit. ”
In: https://wn.rsarchive.org/Books/GA004/Spanish/filosc05.html
As we move forward in this study by Rudolf Steiner on Philosophy of Freedom, we will understand that the work of elaborating concepts allows us to know the truth and set ourselves free.
In the next installment, we will understand the role that feelings have in our ability to know.
Bibliography
Rudolf Steiner Philosophy of Freedom
José Contreras editor and translator in the big family of hermandadblanca.org
Link suggestions:
The Minor Arcana of the Tarot Rider
The mysteries of the Major Arcana
What is meditation?
