"Man is in this way seized by the forces which, coming out of the earth, determine him; so that, if we picture these several points, we get a remarkable line. This line still holds good for our epoch. The spot in Africa corresponds to those forces of the earth which imprint upon man the characteristics of early childhood.
The spot in Asia corresponds to those which give man the characteristics of youth, and the ripest characteristics are imprinted on man by the corresponding spot in Europe. This is simply a law. As all persons in their different incarnations pass through the various races, therefore, although it may be argued that the European has the advantage over the black and the yellow races, we should not be prejudiced thereby." Steiner, R. (1910; GA0121). Lecture 4 (link), in the series of lectures: The Mission of Folk-Souls.
4 comments:
I really liked Steiner until I read this. He is clearly implying that Europeans (whites) are more evolved/advanced than Asians and Africans. As the mother of children from Asia and Africa I am deeply disappointed in the ignorance.
Yes, this is a truly great collection of arcane quotes that the orthodox follower of RS doesn't want to know about. I must admit i have often puzzled over Steiner's character and this excellent blog completes the picture for me. The guy was deranged. He had some insights (biodynamics), but everyone has insights... He is closer to being a loonie than a genius. :-D It all stinks of spiritual fascism...
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"although it may be argued that the European has the advantage over the black and the yellow races, we should not be prejudiced thereby."
Christine, being equal doesn't mean being the same. Are you arguing that a baby is as developed as an adult?
Of course you aren't, and being a baby doesn't make one any less of a person does it? Makes you even more lovable, in my opinion!
Growth and development are natural processes (laws), not a grounds for judgment. It might also help to keep in mind that Dr. Steiner is speaking in terms of us all having many lives on Earth, past and future. If you've had (theoretically) 10 lives on Earth, and I've had 3, does that make you better than me? Of course not. Perhaps you've had more lives because you died young in a few of them; maybe I've had fewer because I needed to spend more time in the Spiritual world between Earth lives. Again, not grounds for judgment, but awe and humbleness before the great and unfathomable mysteries of being a Human Spirit!
It is very easy to take Steiner out of context. It is then easy to confuse him as being racist. However, it is far-fetched to imagine him as a European supremacist, and inhuman in that way. For one who has become aware of his vision of humanity, it is not possible. For him, what makes infants, children and adults is a blend of things. It is a matter of age, but it is more importantly a matter of the quality of forces working in the person, and, among these forces, there are not some that are better than others. The Earth and cosmos are a totality that needs each element, in his vision. Another important counter-point to those that would say he is prejudiced is that he says those are the forces that work up from the Earth. As such, characteristics that arise out of the influence of those forces are not inherent in the individuals that receive them, and they are one influence of several. Additionally, these forces work on those in the place, not those of a specific race. Having been in both Mali and Japan, I can say from experience that there is a refreshing youthfulness in the people of each country that I have not observed in Japanese Asian Americans and in African Americans. Adults in these countries are still mature, and it would be silly to think that Steiner thought otherwise. Again, he is referring to a different paradigm and drawing conclusions from things taken out of their context is what is immature.
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