Rudolf Steiner, Lectures for the Workers at the Goetheanum

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„The so-called "Workers' Lectures" occupy a special place in Rudolf Steiner's work of lectures, since they are neither complete cycles of lectures on a specific theme nor announced lectures for a specific audience. Rather, these more than a hundred lectures emerged from question and answer sessions during the morning breaks for the workers involved in building the Goetheanum. Rudolf Steiner spontaneously responded to the questions and topics that came to him from the circle of participants. And just how varied these were becomes clear from the selection of the contents of the eight volumes listed here.

What is particularly characteristic is the freshness and immediacy that these lectures radiate. Thus they also prove to be a bridge from everyday questions of life to purely spiritual content and may be called - in the best sense of the word - a "popular" introduction to the research results of Anthroposophy.“

Marie Steiner writes in her preface to the Workers' Lectures:

„These lectures can also be called dialogues, for their content was always determined by the workers themselves, at Rudolf Steiner's request. They were allowed to choose their own topics; he encouraged them to ask questions and communicate, encouraged them to express themselves, to make their submissions. Both distant and close issues were touched upon. A special interest was shown in the therapeutic and hygienic aspects of life; one saw from this how much these things belong to the daily concerns of the worker. But also all phenomena of nature, of mineral, vegetable and animal existence were touched upon, and this again led out into the cosmos, to the origin of things and beings. Finally, the workers asked for an introduction to spiritual science and a basis of knowledge for understanding the mysteries of Christianity.“ (Lit.:GA 347, p. 9)

GA (CW) Title[1]
GA 347 The Knowledge of the Human Being according to Body, Soul and Spirit. On Early Earth Conditions.
GA 348 On Health and Disease. Foundations of a Spiritual-Scientific Theory of the Senses.
GA 349 On the Life of Man and Earth.
GA 350 Rhythms in the Cosmos and in the Human Being. How Does One Come to See the Spiritual World?
GA 351 Man and World. The Work of the Spirit in Nature. On the Nature of Bees.
GA 352 Nature and Man in Spiritual-Scientific Contemplation.
GA 353 The History of Mankind and the World Views of the Cultured Peoples.
GA 354 The Creation of the World and of Man.

Literature

German

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.

References

  1. Title in literal English translation.