Evil
10 selected lectures by Rudolf Steiner

Evil is one of the most omnipresent and intractable problems of our age. We are constantly concerned about its continuing brutal and destructive presence, but to what extent has society truly begun to understand its riddle?

In this selection of insightful lectures Rudolf Steiner addresses the subject of evil from the results of his spiritual research, offering an original and complex picture. He describes evil as a phenomenon which arises when an impulse or practice is applied outside its original and true context, enabling something which is initially 'good' to become harmful. He speaks of the effect of particular spiritual beings - principally Lucifer and Ahriman - who work as polar forces, laying hindrances in our path by inducing such misapplication through those inner regions where we are not yet truly conscious. Yet, paradoxically, confronting and coming to terms with such difficulties ultimately furthers our development. Thus Steiner speaks of evil as a necessary moral, and intellectual awakener in human evolution, a struggle which we must master out of our own resources, and a challenge without which we could not become truly human. These lectures offer a powerful incentive to come to grips with who we are and what it actually means to be human.

Rudolf Steiner Press
224pp; paperback
ISBN: 1 85584 046 4

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) called his spiritual philosophy 'anthroposophy', which he defined as 'the consciousness of one's humanity', and the disciplined methods of studying this he termed ‘spiritual science’.  As a highly developed clairvoyant and spiritual initiate, he spoke from his direct cognition of the spiritual world. However, he did not see his work as religious or sectarian, but rather sought to found a universal 'science of the spirit'.

His many published works (written books and lectures) - which include his research into the spiritual nature of the human being, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods of personal development - invite readers to develop their own spiritual faculties.  He also provided indications for the renewal of many human activities, including education - both general and special - agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, religion and the arts. He wrote some 30 books and delivered over 6000 lectures across Europe, and in 1924 founded the General Anthroposophical Society which today has branches throughout the world.

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