Truth and Science
GA 3
VIII. Practical Final Remarks
[ 1 ] The preceding discussion aimed to throw light on the relationship between knowing one’s essential being and knowing the objective nature of the world. What does it mean for us to become familiar with concepts (Erkenntnis) and to develop and practice science (Wissenschaft)? This was the question to which we sought the answer.
[ 2 ] We have seen that the innermost core of the world plays out in our knowing. The lawful harmony, by which the world-all will be governed, comes into human awareness through appearance. [ 3 ] It is therefore part of man's job to transfer the basic laws of the world, which otherwise govern all existence, but would never come into existence themselves, into the arena of apparent reality. This is the nature of knowing, that it represents the foundation of the world that can never be found in objective reality. Our familiarity with concepts, figuratively speaking, is a constant living into the foundation of the world.
[ 4 ] Such a conviction must also shed light on our practical view of life. [ 5 ] The entire character of one’s lifestyle is determined by moral ideals. These are the ideas we have about our tasks in life, or in other words, what we are supposed to accomplish through our actions.
[ 6 ] Our actions are part of general world events. It is therefore also subject to the general laws of these events. [ 7 ] If an event occurs somewhere in the universe, two things must be distinguished about it: its external course in space and time and its inner lawfulness.
[ 8 ] Awareness of this lawfulness for human activity is only a special case of awareness. The views we have derived about the nature of knowing must therefore also be applicable here. Recognizing oneself as an active personal entity, therefore, means maintaining familiarity (for our actions) with the corresponding laws, namely with moral concepts and ideals. If we have recognized this lawfulness, then our behavior is also our work. Lawfulness is then not something given, lying outside of the object, onto which happenings appear, but as the content of the activity of the object itself. The object in this case is our own self, our “I”, our ego. If our ego has thoroughly infused its essential behavior with real awareness, then it feels at once the master of its behavior. So long as this does not take place, the laws of action appear to us as something alien, they dominate us. What we accomplish is under the pressure they exert on us. Once they have been transformed from such a foreign entity into our very own activity, then this compulsion ceases. The compulsion has become our own nature. The law no longer rules over us, but rather within us over the events emanating from our ego. The realization of an event by means of a law that is external to the person who realizes it is an act of bondage, while the realization of an event by the person who realizes it is an act of freedom. Recognizing the laws of one's actions means being aware of one's freedom. According to our explanations, the process of knowing is the developmental process towards freedom.
[ 9 ] Not all human actions have this character. In many cases we do not have any knowledge of the laws that govern our actions. That part of our activity is the unfree part of our work. Opposite that is the activity in which we fully accept these laws. That is the free arena. Insofar as our life belongs to the free arena, it can only be described as moral. The transformation of the first area into one with the character of the second is the task of every individual’s development, as well as that of whole of mankind.
[ 10 ] The most important problem of all human thinking is this: to understand a person as a self-grounded, free personality.
VIII. Praktische Schlussbetrachtung
[ 1 ] Die Stellung unserer erkennenden Persönlichkeit zum objektiven Weltwesen war es, worüber wir durch die vorhergehenden Betrachtungen Aufschluß verlangten. Was bedeutet für uns der Besitz von Erkenntnis und Wissenschaft? Das war die Frage, nach deren Beantwortung wir suchten.
[ 2 ] Wir haben gesehen, daß sich in unserem Wissen der innerste Kern der Welt auslebt. Die gesetzmäßige Harmonie, von der das Weltall beherrscht wird, kommt in der menschlichen Erkenntnis zur Erscheinung.
[ 3 ] Es gehört somit zum Berufe des Menschen, die Grundgesetze der Welt, die sonst zwar alles Dasein beherrschen, aber nie selbst zum Dasein kommen würden, in das Gebiet der erscheinenden Wirklichkeit zu versetzen. Das ist das Wesen des Wissens, daß sich in ihm der in der objektiven Realität nie aufzufindende Weltengrund darstellt. Unser Erkennen ist - bildlich gesprochen - ein stetiges Hineinleben in den Weltengrund.
[ 4 ] Eine solche Überzeugung muß auch Licht auf unsere praktische Lebensauffassung werfen.
[ 5 ] Unsere Lebensführung ist ihrem ganzen Charakter nach bestimmt durch unsere sittlichen Ideale. Diese sind die Ideen, die wir von unseren Aufgaben im Leben haben, oder mit anderen Worten, die wir von dem machen, was wir durch unser Handeln vollbringen sollen.
[ 6 ] Unser Handeln ist ein Teil des allgemeinen Weltgeschehens. Es steht somit auch unter der allgemeinen Gesetzmäßigkeit dieses Geschehens.
[ 7 ] Wenn nun irgendwo im Universum ein Geschehen auftritt, so ist an demselben ein Zweifaches zu unterscheiden: der äußere Verlauf desselben in Raum und Zeit und die innere Gesetzmäßigkeit davon.
[ 8 ] Die Erkenntnis dieser Gesetzmäßigkeit für das menschliche Handeln ist nur ein besonderer Fall des Erkennens. Die von uns über die Natur der Erkenntnis abgeleiteten Anschauungen müssen also auch hier anwendbar sein. Sich als handelnde Persönlichkeit erkennen heißt somit: für sein Handeln die entsprechenden Gesetze, d.h. die sittlichen Begriffe und Ideale als Wissen zu besitzen. Wenn wir diese Gesetzmäßigkeit erkannt haben, dann ist unser Handeln auch unser Werk. Die Gesetzmäßigkeit ist dann nicht als etwas gegeben, was außerhalb des Objektes liegt, an dem das Geschehen erscheint, sondern als der Inhalt des in lebendigem Tun begriffenen Objektes selbst. Das Objekt ist in diesem Falle unser eigenes Ich. Hat dies letztere sein Handeln dem Wesen nach wirklich erkennend durchdrungen, dann fühlt es sich zugleich als den Beherrscher desselben. Solange ein solches nicht stattfindet, stehen die Gesetze des Handelns uns als etwas Fremdes gegenüber, sie beherrschen uns; was wir vollbringen, steht unter dem Zwange, den sie auf uns ausüben. Sind sie aus solcher fremden Wesenheit in das ureigene Tun unseres Ich verwandelt, dann hört dieser Zwang auf. Das Zwingende ist unser eigenes Wesen geworden. Die Gesetzmäßigkeit herrscht nicht mehr über uns, sondern in uns über das von unserm Ich ausgehende Geschehen. Die Verwirklichung eines Geschehens vermöge einer außer dem Verwirklicher stehenden Gesetzmäßigkeit ist ein Akt der Unfreiheit, jene durch den Verwirklicher selbst ein solcher der Freiheit. Die Gesetze seines Handelns erkennen heißt sich seiner Freiheit bewußt sein. Der Erkenntnisprozeß ist, nach unseren Ausführungen, der Entwicklungsprozeß zur Freiheit.
[ 9 ] Nicht alles menschliche Handeln trägt diesen Charakter. In vielen Fällen besitzen wir die Gesetze für unser Handeln nicht als Wissen. Dieser Teil unseres Handelns ist der unfreie Teil unseres Wirkens. Ihm gegenüber steht derjenige, wo wir uns in diese Gesetze vollkommen einleben. Das ist das freie Gebiet. Sofern unser Leben ihm angehört, ist es allein als sittliches zu bezeichnen. Die Verwandlung des ersten Gebietes in ein solches mit dem Charakter des zweiten ist die Aufgabe jeder individuellen Entwicklung, wie auch jener der ganzen Menschheit.
[ 10 ] Das wichtigste Problem alles menschlichen Denkens ist das: den Menschen als auf sich selbst gegründete, freie Persönlichkeit zu begreifen.
VIII Practical conclusion
[ 1 ] The position of our cognizing personality in relation to the objective being of the world was the subject of our previous considerations. What does the possession of knowledge and science mean to us? That was the question we were looking for an answer to.
[ 2 ] We have seen that the innermost core of the world is expressed in our knowledge. The lawful harmony that governs the universe is manifested in human knowledge.
[ 3 ] It is thus part of man's vocation to transfer the fundamental laws of the world, which otherwise dominate all existence but would never come into existence themselves, into the realm of apparent reality. This is the essence of knowledge, that in it the ground of the world, which can never be found in objective reality, presents itself. Our cognition is - figuratively speaking - a constant living into the ground of the world.
[ 4 ] Such a conviction must also shed light on our practical view of life.
[ 5 ] The whole character of our way of life is determined by our moral ideals. These are the ideas we have of our tasks in life, or in other words, the ideas we have of what we should accomplish through our actions.
[ 6 ] Our actions are part of general world events. It is therefore also subject to the general lawfulness of these events.
[ 7 ] If an event occurs somewhere in the universe, there is a twofold distinction to be made: the external course of it in space and time and the internal lawfulness of it.
[ 8 ] The realization of this lawfulness for human action is only a special case of cognition. The views we have derived about the nature of cognition must therefore also be applicable here. To recognize oneself as an acting personality thus means: to possess the corresponding laws for one's actions, i.e. the moral concepts and ideals as knowledge. If we have recognized this lawfulness, then our actions are also our work. The lawfulness is then not given as something that lies outside the object on which the action appears, but as the content of the object itself that is conceived in living action. In this case, the object is our own ego. If the latter has really penetrated its action in a recognizing way, then it also feels itself to be the master of it. As long as this does not take place, the laws of action stand opposite us as something alien, they dominate us; what we accomplish is under the compulsion that they exert on us. Once they have been transformed from such a foreign entity into the very own actions of our ego, this compulsion ceases. The compulsion has become our own being. Lawfulness no longer rules over us, but in us over the events emanating from our ego. The realization of an event by means of a lawfulness that stands outside the realizer is an act of bondage, the realization by the realizer himself is an act of freedom. Recognizing the laws of one's actions means being aware of one's freedom. The process of cognition is, according to our explanations, the process of development towards freedom.
[ 9 ] Not all human action has this character. In many cases, we do not possess the laws for our actions as knowledge. This part of our actions is the unfree part of our actions. On the other hand, there is the part where we are fully integrated into these laws. This is the free area. Insofar as our life belongs to it, it can only be described as moral. The transformation of the first area into one with the character of the second is the task of every individual development, as well as that of humanity as a whole.
[ 10 ] The most important problem of all human thinking is this: to understand man as a free personality based on himself.