Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of
Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew
up (see right). As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin,
where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and
philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's
scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he
began to develop his early philosophical principles into an
approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual
phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under
the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the
term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy,
spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's
multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches
in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal,
Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold
economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture,
and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf
Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today
has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach,
Switzerland.
Gary Lamb has worked in several occupations over the years,
including building construction, farming, carpentry, high school
teaching, manufacturing, fundraising, magazine publishing, and
more. He cofounded and edited of The Threefold Review, an
independent magazine for the study of social issues in the light of
Anthroposophy. He is currently co-director of the Center for Social
Research (CSR) in Hawthorne Valley, New York. He does research
through the Ethical Technology Initiative.
"Gary Lamb's monumental research project to gather together what
Rudolf Steiner had to say about technology is here crystal-lized
into a profound, accessible, and digestible form that can be read
and studied in part or in the whole. And this is just the first
volume. Lamb's contextual notes are a helpful guide in
under-standing one of the most morally complicated topics of our
time--what is at play in the intimate interrelationships of the
human being, the reality of the spiritual world, and technology."
--John Bloom, General Secretary, Anthroposophical Society in
America
"Ours is the age of science and technology. Purely materialistic
conceptions are leading humanity to the brink of planetary disaster
even possible extinction. A spiritual scientific perspective is
essential if we are to survive as true humans. Gary's book is an
important contribution to this quest. This unique compendium on
Steiner's thoughts on science and technology will be a solid
reference to all who want to create a better future in the
turbulent decades of the 21st century." --Nicanor Perlas, author,
Humanity's Last Stand: The Challenge of Artificial Intelligence. A
Spiritual Scientific Response
"In this work, Gary Lamb brings Steiner's insights to life in
relation to the current situation in our technological world. With
the help of commentary that supports and contextualizes the vast
collection of quotes to form coherent pictures of different aspects
of the question of technology, this work helps anyone who is
interested in modern technology to get a comprehensive idea of what
spiritual science has to say about it. By illuminating the whole
landscape, from atoms to spiritual realities in society, this work
forms an excellent reference and is a must-read especially for
teachers, researchers, and social scientists." --Gopi Krishna
Vijaya, PhD, physicist
"Despite Rudolf Steiner's assertion that if people would really
read his written works, they could give the lectures themselves, he
gave some 6,000 lectures on a wide variety of topics. Thus, we can
be grateful that Gary Lamb has once again culled a wide swath of
quotations from these lectures and assembled them for us around a
main theme focused on the possibility of a new form of technology
and a new source of energy that could avert the immanent dangers
associated with our present forms. Lamb shows us how these new
forms, which can be derived from Steiner's spiritual science
require us to reexamine our epistemological stance regarding the
world and to extend our concepts of atom, electricity, magnetism,
and light. But Lamb also shows us that all this calls for a
concurrent reformation of education within a new social
organization that can overcome the conflict between our current
form of capitalism and the calls for social, environmental, and
economic justice. Thus, Lamb's book will be of great service to
both the newcomer to Steiner's work as well as those who have long
been students but focused on particular aspects of Anthroposophy."
--Ronald Milito, DEd biophysics; human anatomist and former
university and Waldorf school educator
"Since Rudolf Steiner was alive, technology has increased its
influence exponentially and promises to continue to do so. Because
his spiritual scientific research was able to explore the stream of
time coming from the future, he had important insights to share
about the direction of this field. However, there were no special
lectures dedicated to the subject, so this Compendium is an
invaluable aid. The things Steiner said about technology have been
collected and ordered, and through Gary Lamb's clear and concise
introductions to the chapters one can follow the thread of a train
of thought that Steiner wove throughout his work." --Sherry
Wildfeuer, editor, Stella Natura biodynamic planting
"This is a deeply important volume for to take in and ponder. The
challenges we will face in the coming decades surrounding all
questions of technology will require a strong and refined sense of
discernment. Each of us will need to make independent decisions
that will not only remain in the realm of opinion and beliefs but
will also influence our actions in daily life. This compendium
collects Rudolf Steiner's esoteric perceptions on questions of
tech-nology to help us on our way. The chapter on electricity is
particularly revealing." --Rachel Schneider, Institute for Mindful
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