Art, science, and religion have been separated starting with Aristotle, who was first with conducting science as an independent entity. Subsequently, one consequence of the Middle Ages was to detach art from religion. And up to today the three areas are largely disconnected and specialized separate areas of human life.
Walter Johannes Stein acknowledges this separation as a necessary historical fact but at the same time points out to the possibility of uniting them today in a School of Spiritual Science. Accordingly, this School of Spiritual Science is grounded in a Universal World-Conception, to use W. J. Stein’s words. In this connection he also points out to one of the last Schools where art, science, and religion were still connected until the Middle Ages: the spiritual School of the Hibernian Mysteries in Ireland.
For one, the article gives an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of scientific research in mankind, which has been ever more specialized, yet may benefit from each other significantly. In his words: “The materialism of modern science lies not only in the contents of the single sciences, but in the very organization of science itself, in its tendency to exaggerated specialization which separates and divides domains of knowledge which ought to be regarded as one whole.” W. J. Stein then gives a few practical illustrations to show how specialized subjects can enhance each other. For example, chemistry can meaningfully be complemented by physiology, history may truly benefit from psychology, or education may need the help of medicine to be more practical.
However—and most important in our opinion—this article can give the reader a direction for the renewal of academic life in general. W. J. Stein sees an urgent need to unify these different entities of human life into a universal School of Spiritual Science. In his words: “The School of Spiritual Science would like to include people connected with all the sciences, all the arts, all the philosophies and religions.” This is, in our opinion, a highly relevant impulse for today.
Clearly, the goal of his article was not only to reflect but also to give an impulse for future development. This is why we republish it on out site. We hope that there will be some comments that make use of this impulse, which seems to us is even timelier now than when it was published in 1936. How do you think is this impulse working in all around the world today, in 2011?
Please find the article here.