The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Introductory Remarks to the New Edition (1914)

[ 1 ] The description of philosophical intellectual life from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present, which has been attempted in this second volume of the "Riddles of Philosophy", cannot bear the same stamp as the overview of the preceding thinkers' work found in the first volume. - This overview has remained within the narrowest circle of philosophical questions. The last sixty years are the age in which the scientific mode of conception, from various points of view, intends to shake the ground on which philosophy previously stood. During this period, the view has emerged that the results of scientific research shed light on the nature of man, his relationship to the world and other mysteries of existence, which had previously been sought through philosophical intellectual work. Many thinkers who now wanted to serve philosophy endeavored to model the nature of their research on natural science; others did not formulate the basic elements of their world view in the old philosophical way of thinking, but took them from the views of natural science, biology and physiology. And those who wanted to preserve the independence of philosophy believed they were doing the right thing by subjecting the results of natural science to thorough scrutiny in order to prevent them from penetrating philosophy. It is therefore necessary for the presentation of philosophical life in this age to focus on the views that have entered the worldviews from the natural sciences. The significance of these views for philosophy only becomes apparent if one considers the scientific basis from which they flow and if one places oneself in the atmosphere of the scientific mode of conception in which they are developed. These relations are expressed in the expositions of this book by the fact that much of it is organized almost as if it were intended as a presentation of general scientific ideas rather than of philosophical work. The opinion may be justified that this kind of presentation clearly expresses how influential natural science has become for contemporary philosophical life.

[ 2 ] Those who find it compatible with their way of thinking to imagine the development of philosophical life as indicated in the orienting introduction on the "Guidelines of Representation" in the first volume of this book and as its further explanations attempt to justify, will be able to see in the characterized relationship between philosophy and knowledge of nature in the present age a necessary link in this development. Throughout the centuries, since the advent of Greek philosophy, this development has urged the human soul to experience its inner essential powers. With this inner experience the soul became stranger and stranger in the world, which was built up by the knowledge of external nature. A view of nature arose which is so exclusively directed towards the observation of the outer world that it feels no urge to include in its world picture what the soul experiences in its inner world. To paint this view of the world in such a way that it also contains these inner experiences of the human soul as well as the research results of natural science, considers this view to be unjustified. This characterizes the situation in which philosophy found itself in the second half of the nineteenth century, and in which many schools of thought still stand today. There is no need to artificially introduce what has been characterized here into the consideration of the philosophy of this age. It can be gleaned from the facts which are available for this consideration. This has been attempted in the second volume of this book. - The fact that such an attempt has been made has led to the addition to the second edition of this book of a concluding chapter containing a "sketchy outline of the outlook for an anthroposophy". One may be of the opinion that this presentation falls completely outside the scope of what is presented in this book. However, it was already stated in the preface to the first volume that the aim of this presentation "is not only to give a brief outline of the history of philosophical questions, but to speak about these questions and their attempts at solutions themselves through their historical consideration". Now the consideration expressed in the book attempts to prove that some solutions in contemporary philosophy work towards finding something in the inner experience of the human soul that reveals itself in such a way that it cannot be denied the place of knowledge of nature in the newer world view. If it is the philosophical view of the author of this book that what is presented in the concluding chapter speaks of soul experiences which can bring fulfillment to this search of the newer philosophies, then he may well add this chapter to his presentation. He seems to have observed that it is part of the basic character of these philosophies and their historical character not to keep to their own direction in their search for what they are looking for, and that this direction must lead to the world view that is outlined at the end of the book. It wants to be a real "science of the spirit". For those who find this to be correct, this worldview will show itself to be that which gives the answer to questions posed by contemporary philosophy, although it does not itself express this answer. And if this is correct, then what is said in the final chapter also sheds light on the historical position of modern philosophy.

[ 3 ] The author of this book does not imagine that anyone who is able to accept what is said in the concluding chapter must be of the opinion that a world view is necessary which replaces philosophy with something which philosophy itself can no longer regard as philosophy. The view that wants to express itself in the book is rather that philosophy, if it comes to really understand itself, must land with its spiritual vehicle in a spiritual experience that is certainly the fruit of its work, but which grows beyond this work. Philosophy thus retains its significance for every human being who must demand a secure spiritual foundation for the results of this spiritual experience through his way of thinking. He who is able to gain conviction of these results through a natural sense of truth is entitled to feel that he is on secure ground, even if he pays no attention to a philosophical foundation for these results. Whoever seeks the scientific justification of the world view spoken of at the end of this book must take the path through the philosophical foundation.

[ 4 ] That this path, if followed to its end, leads to experience in a spiritual world, and that through this experience the soul can bring its own spiritual essence to consciousness in a way that is independent of its experience and cognition through the sense world: that is what the presentation of this book attempts to prove. The presenter did not want to carry this thought into the observation of philosophical life as a preconceived opinion. He wanted to seek out impartially the view that speaks from this life itself. At least he endeavored to do so. He believes that this idea can be given an appropriate foundation in the presentation of this book by the fact that the scientific view is expressed in some passages of the book as if it were expressed by a confessor of this view himself. One will only be able to do complete justice to a view if one is able to put oneself completely in its place. And it is precisely this empathizing with a world view that most surely enables the human soul to emerge from it into modes of perception that spring from areas not encompassed by this world view.

[ 5 ] This second volume of the "Riddles of Philosophy" was printed up to page 206 before the outbreak of the great war that humanity is currently experiencing. The end of the book falls at the time of this event. I only wanted to point to that which deeply moves my soul from the outer world and occupies me, while the last thoughts of the contents of this book had to run through my inner being.

Berlin, September 1, 1914
Rudolf Steiner