The Present Age

This article by Walter Johannes Stein is focusing on the main theme in the philosophy of Aristotle: the content of the school Aristotle had in Mieza. The Ten Categories form its core teaching – which, according to W.J. Stein’s description of Aristotle, bear an esoteric secret that only the “initiation of true discipleship” can unveil. As W.J. Stein points out, Aristotle became conscious of the Ten Categories the night Alexander the Great was born. It was only natural then, that in the School of Mienza, Aristotle worked together with Alexander, among other pupils.

Interestingly, the School, with at its core the Ten Categories, entailed not only a content of thinking but also much more of looking and thinking together. This methodology, perceiving through the individual senses, but forming an understanding together, is a most important tool in today’s political and economic turmoil.

Especially in the social realm we need more than ever new concepts that are not harmful but fruitful to life: concepts that were formed by working together. For example, the growing Occupy Movement is already resulting in a multitude of new concepts and ideas. Yet which concepts will be fruitful and which not? Working with the categories of Aristotle in the way it is explained in this article by W. J. Stein can help to find new ways of thinking together, ensuring that the resulting concepts are in harmony with the life of the planet and her inhabitants.

Please find W. J. Stein’s article here.

And here is a suggested link to an (English) online edition of the Ten Categories.

Before Daniel Nicol Dunlop met Dr. Steiner (and Dr. Stein), he had given some lectures and published some articles, amongst which Initiation is to be found. He gave this lecture before the Theosophical Society in December 1915. Curiously, after meeting with Dr. Steiner in 1922, he would not speak or publish again on the subject of spiritual matter.

That D.N. Dunlop had intimate knowledge of the content he spoke about is reflected in this lecture. It is, from this point of view, of high interest to everyone striving for spiritual development. For now, however, we would like to emphasize a different aspect of the lecture: Initiation can give us a sense of Daniel Dunlop’s inner maturity and spiritual realism in which he lived. It seems to us that his attitude is foremost very down-to-earth.

Most important to D.N. Dunlop appears to be self-consciousness, or self-knowledge. And from this follows the necessity of self-development. As he writes: “His [the esoteric student’s] effort, therefore, is not so much to know as to become, and herein lies the tremendous import of the Delphic inscription: ‘Know thyself,’ which is the key-note of all true esoteric development, for the true esoteric student understands that self-knowledge can be attained only through self-development in the highest possible sense of the term […].”

To pursue self-development, D.N. Dunlop gives very unemotional advice: “Spiritual forces, for the majority of humanity, can only be awakened by introspective meditation, by control of thought, by the ability to concentrate the mind upon abstract conceptions to the exclusion of irrelevant ideas. This has been set forth in detail, step by step, by all the wise teachers of man; its repetition becomes wearisome, but the purifying virtues can be acquired in no other way.“ In other words, short cuts that avoid purifying ones virtues in one way or another – for example mystical or half-conscious visions – should be avoided if one aims towards a healthy development of spiritual forces; hard work is imperative.

Both examples reflect the calm, matter-of-factly attitude towards spiritualism that D.N. Dunlop has to offer in this lecture. It is this posture that is needed in every discipline, but especially in matters of spiritualism.

Please find his lecture here.

In this year’s Easter festival we like to republish an article on the deeper historical questions that Walter Johannes Stein had in connection to the Old and New Testament. A scientific mind usually smiles about the seeming errors and misconceptions of the Bible. Stein disagrees and gives examples as to why.

The starting point of the article is a lecture Stein gave at the University where he himself was learning as a young student in Mathematics at the University of Vienna between 1909 and 1914. The title was ‘Christ as the central point of World-History’. He states that of the 2000 lectures he had given in Vienna between 1918 and 1938, none were attended by so many people. It shows the inherent interest people seem to have in this subject. But how can people with a ‘modern’ scientific mind find access to the Bible?

Stein gives a possibility, we think. His underlying claim is that “Every line in the Bible can be vindicated at the forum of all sciences.”

He explains that some of the errors and misconceptions of the Bible can be traced back to not contextualizing or not using all available sciences to examine the facts. For example, misconceptions about the Creation or about the biblical chronology are due to different systems of years that are being used. In another example, Stein shows how the separation into the two sexes from the rib of Adam can, from the right point of view, be recognized in the birth every child.

As a theme that is so strongly connected to the Eastern time, we hope that you, as our readers, will find in it an opportunity for further research and questions. We hope you had a good Easter time.

The Editors

Please find the article here.

Edit#1: We thank a very alert blogger for pointing out to some (obvious) mistakes in the text.

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.

In the beginning of December 2010, Mr. Bierman, Managing Director of Triodos Bank Netherlands, gave a publicly accessible lecture at the School of Business and Economics of Maastricht University. A few things that he mentioned during the lecture stood out. I listed them in no particular order.

• Awareness of every member of a society about the function of money is the key to a sustainable future. If, for example, consumers realize that the money they deposit in their bank is may be used by the bank for any loan the bank deems appropriate, many would withdraw their money. It is therefore imperative to realize that any bank as a huge responsibility in deciding where and often also under what conditions a loan is being made.
• Banks that adhere to their traditional role – funneling depositors’ money into sensible loans – should be the only institutions that enjoy a depositor’s safety net by the government. For example banks that use that money to speculate, often not on their customers’ behalf, should be excluded from such a scheme.
• Money, when deposited on a bank, doesn’t lie there in a safe. It is being used, for example, to loan to businesses or even to bet on asset prices. It is another, narrower, perspective of the first point being made.
• “Economic fundamentalism” is when pure financial cost-benefit considerations are the only criteria by which a loan is judged, when maximizing shareholder value is the only purpose of a company, when a country’s GDP is the focus of the well-being, or when the stock market is an indicator for economic health.
• Members of society have become disconnected from its society. For example, consumers don’t contemplate about the consequences of purchases, or producers don’t take environmental considerations into account. Human beings are unconscious about the repercussions of their actions on their society in a broad sense. This links nicely with the first point made.
• The natural flow of an ecosystem is not being taken into account. Everything, in some way or another, is part of a process where it comes into being and later degenerates. We should adjust our way of living on this cycle; instead of overly emphasizing the consumption we should also be conscious about recycling or sustainability of the products we consume.
• Triodos Bank is a nice example where having a positive impact is done and at the same time money is being made. However, the emphasis is on money as a means, not an end. Profit is needed to keep the business running and to enable its employers a decent living, but it remains a tool to realize for example the vision of the company – in this case to realize the values of Triodos Bank.
• Art, music, theater and so on are seen as investments that have a positive impact on society. For Triodos Bank – according to Mr. Bierman – what is good for society is also good for Triodos Bank.
• Since Triodos Bank does not engage in interbank lending, the low interest rates of the EZB are not benefitting Triodos Bank directly. On the contrary, it is putting pressure on its operations as depositors expect a decent return on their deposits.
• Microfinance is really important because it makes the relationship the lender and borrower an equal one: once the loan is paid off, there is no leftover dependency or any feeling of obligation or even guilt. This is in stark contrast to aid programs.

Additionally I would like to raise attention to an interesting speech by Peter Blom, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Triodos Bank. Recently he was invited as a member of the Club of Rome. Upon receiving the 2010 Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics at Columbia Business School, Mr. Blom touches, from a banker’s perspective, on many important aspects of the role of a bank, the role of money, and the increased consciousness of customers. His speech was captured on video and can be found on youtube.

It strikes me as particularly important that there are individuals who seem to have a solid grasp of some of some of the pressing problems of our times (such as the role of banks), and at the same time speak at such events and places. Thereby they may reach younger people that will at some time have some say in the conduct of world affairs.

At the same time I ask myself: where is the much-needed economic debate about a future, post-crisis sustainable economy? A refreshing place to start may be the Centre for Associative Economics in England with its monthly newsletter and its regular lectures. But where is the mainstream debate about changes necessary to adjust to a sustainable society?

The very first article W.J. Stein wrote for the first issue of his journal “The Present Age” was on Daniel Nicol Dunlop (D.N.D.). Originally published in December 1935, “An appreciation of D.N. Dunlop” is republished on our website because in a real sense this article traces the journal’s origins back to its roots: D.N.D. As W.J. Stein explains in the first paragraph: “The origin of this journal was Mr. D.N. Dunlops idea, and the title ”The Present Age” was his choice. He wanted me to create this journal and he hoped to write the introductory article.”

To complement W.J. Stein’s article, we would like to note a few aspects of D.N.D.’s being that seem relevant for today. All aspects appear to be the consequence of a universal and highly independent personality, grounded in the realities of daily life.

D.N.D.’s far-sighted impulse of the first World Power Conference in 1924 – which still exists today as the World Energy Council – shows, among other things, how he managed to meaningfully connect with humans that are not in any way connected with Anthroposophy. He seemed to be able to go beyond the institution and name Anthroposophy, while at the same time nobody would have difficulties arguing that he truly lived anthroposophy in a most eminent way.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that at this conference he united about 2000 delegates from 40 different countries, including from Russia and Germany. It seems that with this conference, D.N.D. was able to temporarily paralyze prevailing but dangerously narrow-minded political ideologies, usually some form of nationalism, which would prove fatal only a few years later. Instead, he united the universal interests of humanity on energy production and technology by bringing together scientists and engineers to share information and foster collaboration. It seems to us that this event is inherently based on the idea that political ideology or economic interests should not hamper individual (scientific) contributions towards the progress of humanity.

Another aspect we would like to emphasize briefly is his ability to detect and foster the best in people. Eleanor C. Merry, a close friend of his, describes his method as helping people to “stand on their own feet.” This method was revealed in little remarks, in seemingly trivial incidents, and so on, which with hindsight turned out to be significant occurrences for those in question.

A third aspect was his ability to exemplify and contextualize certain ideas with practical experience, thereby grounding them. Usually after a lecture on spiritual content, D.N.D. would give a summary by adding daily-life examples, in a sense making the content much more graspable. One can imagine that this ability of giving ideas a ‘reality-check’ also helped him in no insignificant way to organize the World Power Conference.

As can be sensed from these few examples, his being was universal, but not divorced from reality. D.N.D. and his impulses are transcending beyond Anthroposophy vs. non-Anthroposophy, transcending beyond different political ideologies. At the same time, he was extremely skillful in day-to-day affairs. The World Power Conference is one; his general ability to summarize and ground hovering ideas is another example. Both are qualities that, in the opinion of the authors, will prove inevitable in the next decades, especially for those that will have some decision-making power in the realm of politics or the economy.

Please find W.J. Stein’s article here.

Note: It should be clear that our introduction is no attempt in being an exhaustive or complete description. We beg the reader for indulgence as we can only try to highlight some aspects of such a rich and important life. We also warmly invite your contributions in the form of comments. An excellent biography of D.N.D. is provided by Thomas Meyer’s D.N. Dunlop A Man of our Time, published by Temple Lodge.

This study on ‘Gold’ has an important place in the life and work of Walter Johannes Stein. At the time he wrote this study, he came into contact with Daniel Nicol Dunlop. It was also the time of the Great Depression after the stock market had crashed in 1929. While the study is about gold, W.J. Stein frequently takes the opportunity to write about related subjects such as national identities and the economy as a whole. We publish this study because we think it can be of large interest to those aiming to understand the role of gold in an economy, and more broadly, to understand the world economy.

To familiarize the reader with gold, including its perils, W.J. Stein gives a brief history of gold resorting to historic accounts, sagas and legends, ranging from the old Persians, to the Nibelung, to the Knight Templars and the Spanish seafarers. He shows how gold, which has a religious origin, slowly transformed into “mere money”; it secularized and thereby gave rise to new problems and possibilities connected with the use of gold, including its function in the economy.

The proper function of gold, according to W.J. Stein, is to provide economic stability. However, different distortions, such as the artificial storage of large amounts of gold or the ban on free gold trafficking, often prevented gold from fulfilling its potential. In other words, Stein argues that political forces use gold to interfere with the peaceful development of economic life.

Realizing the consequences Stein writes, “It [gold] becomes more and more a commodity and no longer performs the regulating function as of old, that is to say, mankind is now faced with the task of carrying out in clear consciousness the regulating functions that gold had hitherto effected automatically.” He later tells us bluntly: “Eliminate gold and politics and hand over the whole money system to an expert body who, with true economic insight will carry out their instructions to bring order into the world’s book-keeping system. Then we shall see what currency really is, as defined by Rudolf Steiner: ‘Currency arises from the wise organisation of the whole economic system through its administration.’”

If one looks at the contemporary situation, this study seems not to have lost any of its relevance. Investors flee into the safety by investing in gold, which is reflected by the record price of gold. It almost seems that the current system that facilitates (and arguably already did to some extend facilitate) the transition towards a world-economy – the current currency system – may not be an adequate solution anymore. For example, was it designed to cope with the growing trade imbalances between the East and the West? At the same time, gold may also not carry the answer anymore, as it has proven extremely vulnerable to political control.

The question that emerges clearly and urgently from this study is, how can we organize a world-embracing system of currencies that is immune to politics, in other words, that is independent and makes inherent economic sense?

Please find the study here.

Side note #1:

In the opinion of the editors, W.J. Stein’s succinct characterization of nationalistic thinking may prove valuable in analyzing the current state of affairs. Especially the currency situation provides a dangerously fertile ground on which nations around the world seem to succumb to nationalistic thinking. One sentence we want to highlight:

“Only a system of world-economy guided in the right manner and extending over the whole Earth can enable the individual human being to develop his national individuality in complete freedom and thus make it possible for nations to express the methods and pace of production that are native to the national spirit of each.”

Side note #2:

Another interesting quote from this gold study we would like to highlight is:

“Insight which embraces a comprehension of the way in which changes in the process of economic life penetrate into and affect human consciousness, alone offers any prospect of enabling human consciousness to comprehend the nature of economic life in full clarity and thus become capable of guiding and directing it.”