Truth and Science
GA 3
When Rudolf Steiner moved to Weimar in the fall of 1890 and began his work as co-editor of Goethe's scientific writings at the Goethe-Schiller Archive, he brought with him, according to his own statements, the manuscript Truth and Science. It is not known how far he had already developed this treatise. However, based on this statement, it can be assumed that he was referring to a more or less completed draft. After Rudolf Steiner was unable to submit his early (1886) epistemological work Fundamentals of an Epistemology of Goethe's Worldview with Special Reference to Schiller (GA 2) as a dissertation, he found a doctoral supervisor in Heinrich von Stein, professor of philosophy in Rostock, with whom he successfully presented his dissertation The Fundamental Question of Epistemology with Special Reference to Fichte's Theory of Science: Prolegomena to the Understanding of Philosophical Consciousness with Itself in 1891. Rudolf Steiner slightly revised the style of the handwritten text for the required dissertation print run of 150 copies. In the spring of 1892, he published his dissertation in Weimar as an independent book edition under the title Truth and Science. A Prelude to a Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, adding a new title page, a dedication to Eduard von Hartmann, a preface, and “Practical Concluding Remarks.” Both in the preface and in the concluding remarks, his philosophical views appeared more clearly defined, as it was no longer necessary to take academic and worldview considerations into account. He began his preface with the pointed statement: “Contemporary philosophy suffers from an unhealthy belief in Kant,” and in his concluding remarks he opened the way to the radical possibility of human self-determination, as expounded in his Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, of which Truth and Science was the “prelude.” It is revealing to follow the consistency with which his philosophical path led him beyond Goethe, Kant, and Fichte to his own theory of knowledge, which already forms a viable and verifiable bridge to what was later developed as the science of the supersensible in anthroposophy.
In his lectures, Rudolf Steiner repeatedly referred to this early work, which remained for him the “fundamental epistemological text.” A look at his comments on this work clearly shows how strongly he valued it and from what perspectives. Here it appears as a training book for pure, non-sensory thinking that requires a life of thought processes, thus clarifying the developed epistemology as productive, not merely descriptive. In addition, Rudolf Steiner refers to the connection with Rosicrucian training and a “Pauline” epistemology. It is noteworthy that in these personal accounts, Truth and Science is always mentioned in conjunction with The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, pointing to the close internal and external (temporal) connection between the two writings.
After the publication of Truth and Science, Rudolf Steiner sent the work to thinkers and people close to him, such as Eduard von Hartmann (to whom it is also dedicated), Karl Julius Schröer, who added marginal notes to his copy (which is now in the Rudolf Steiner Archive), and, one year after its publication, to Vinzenz Knauer, who also added marginal notes and sent it to Rudolf Steiner.
Truth and Science prepares the way for Rudolf Steiner's future anthroposophy by clearly and logically presenting the epistemological foundations human cognition.
This translation by John Riedel MD pays particular attention to the use of Germanic-derived rather than Latin-derived words as indicated by Rudolf Steiner in The Genius of Language.
This version, titled Truth and Knowledge, was bundled together with The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity in the same volume.
Translated by Rita Stebbing.
Seine 1892 erstmals als erweiterte Buchausgabe unter dem Titel «Wahrheit und Wissenschaft» erschienene Dissertation über Erkenntnistheorie bezeichnete Rudolf Steiner zu Recht als «Vorspiel einer ‹Philosophie der Freiheit›», denn alle zentralen Punkte des späteren Hauptwerkes sind hier im Keim angelegt.