The Threefold Human Being

If we want to get to know anthroposophy, then we need a different way of studying than what we do in ordinary science. Because anthroposophy really has to do with us as human beings, of course, and also with the rest of the world. But the human being is a focal point, one could say. And that means that when we take in certain knowledge, certain insights, it is not enough if we only know them. 

Last time, I spoke about the fourfold nature of the human being. And I tried to do so in such a way that it would also become possible to relive these experiences. So that one does not simply read: ah, there are four members of being, physical body, etheric body, astral body, I. And then one must know it. One can know a little more about it, but everything remains knowledge. 

Amfortas and Percival in the Oval Office

Last time I spoke about the conversation, the infamous conversation, between Trump and Zelensky in The Oval Office. And afterward, a primordial image appeared before my mind’s eye. I would not have known this primordial image if I had not read about it in Rudolf Steiner’s works. Specifically, in a series of lectures from 1913 in The Hague, where he speaks about the effect of inner development on the different components of the human being. At a certain point, he speaks about the soul and explains that the soul is, in fact, the great egoist within man, which has the tendency to relate everything to itself and completely immerse itself in personal interest. But the task of the soul is to overcome this and transform itself into a being that consists entirely of love. 

You can well imagine that this does not simply happen within a single lifetime. But when you begin an inner development, you start working on this.

The Fourfold Human Being

In 1913, Rudolf Steiner laid the foundation stone for the first Goetheanum, and at this foundation laying, Rudolf Steiner spoke a few lines with which I would like to begin today, and that is: 

“Let us try to make clear to ourselves how the connection with the divine world existence, with willing, with feeling, and with divine-spiritual knowing has disappeared from the human soul. Let us try in this moment to recreate , deeply, deeply in our soul, what is felt out there in the countries of the East, North, West, and South today by the human souls whom we may recognize as the best, and who do not get beyond that which we can express with the words: an indefinite, inadequate longing and hope for the spirit.” 

The Oval Office

Five years ago, at the beginning of 2020, the first reports came in about a viral infectious disease in China, and so, I believe it was at the end of February, the infections had by then reached Europe, and the whole corona issue started to become increasingly prominent. In the summer, I then received the question: can you make videos and say something about it as well – and that is what I did. And what I can remember from that is that, at least in the beginning, it was not clear to me at all what exactly was going on.

Consciousness and Senses

Last time I spoke about artificial intelligence and consciousness, and afterwards, I thought: Of course, the question remains: what actually is consciousness? This is known in psychology, in medicine, in brain research, but it will be clear that these are always external observations, which are then combined to reach the conclusion that there is consciousness.

Every Human Being seeks Anthroposophy

Yes, I would like to speak at least once more about what resistances exist that prevent millions of people from embracing anthroposophy, even though they probably actually want to. And that is a difficult issue. We are not afraid at all of being portrayed as conspiracy theorists. I made a video about how nonsensical it actually is to put people who seek reasons for something into the corner of conspiracy theories, because after all, it is a human drive for knowledge to search for reasons, and of course, this is always done in science.

The Appearance of Anthroposophy

Yes, the previous time I spoke about inner resistances that one can have against something like anthroposophy because one cannot remain passive if one wants to take anthroposophy as the meaning of life. Then one must indeed begin to read, to study, and to meditate, and there is something in the human soul that resists this. These are inner counterforces that we carry within us, and yes, a person does not simply become aware of this, but this makes the study of human wisdom not so attractive. 

Does Artificial Intelligence have Consciousness?

This week, I again watched two reports on artificial intelligence, and this time my theme was: does artificial intelligence have consciousness, or can it ever develop it? That is, of course, a chilling question, and first, I watched a report or an interview with Geoffrey Hinton, who is a Nobel Prize winner in 2024, a specialist in the field of neural networks, and for him, it is absolutely clear: artificial intelligence already has consciousness. He has no doubt about it.

Human Wisdom: Anthroposophy

The last time I had the question: how is it actually possible that the most human question about human beings, life, and death — that the answer to it is not sought in anthroposophy by millions of people? And of course, there are several answers to this, but the most important thing is that we, as human beings in our time, have a kind of “theater mode.” Yes, we prefer to behave in such a way that we don’t need to do anything and that we only have to watch.