Truth and Knowledge
GA 3
VIII. Practical Conclusion
[ 1 ] the aim of the preceding discussion has been to throw light on the relationship between our cognizing personality and the objective world. What does the possession of knowledge and science mean for us? This was the question to which we sought the answer.
[ 2 ] Our discussion has shown that the innermost core of the world comes to expression in our knowledge. The harmony of laws ruling throughout the universe shines forth in human cognition.
[ 3 ] It is part of man's task to bring into the sphere of apparent reality the fundamental laws of the universe which, although they rule all existence, would never come to existence as such. The very nature of knowledge is that the world-foundation, which is not to be found as such in objective reality, is present in it. Our knowledge—pictorially expressed—is a gradual, living penetration into the world's foundation.
[ 4 ] A conviction such as this must also necessarily throw light upon our comprehension of practical life.
[ 5 ] Our moral ideals determine the whole character of our conduct in life. Our moral ideals are ideas which we have of our task in life—in other words, the ideas we form of what we should bring about through our deeds.
[ 6 ] Our action is part of the universal world-process. It is therefore also subject to the general laws of that world-process.
[ 7 ] Whenever something takes place in the universe, two things must be distinguished: the external course the event follows in space and time, and the inner law ruling it.
[ 8 ] To recognize this law in the sphere of human conduct is simply a special instance of cognition. This means that the insight we have gained concerning the nature of knowledge must be applicable here also. To know oneself to be at one with one's deeds means to possess, as knowledge, the moral concepts and ideals that correspond to the deeds. If we recognize these laws, then our deeds are also our own creations. In such instances the laws are not something given, that is, they are not outside the object in which the activity appears; they are the content of the object itself, engaged in living activity. The object in this case is our own I. If the I has really penetrated its deed with full insight, in conformity with its nature, then it also feels itself to be master. As long as this is not the case, the laws ruling the deed confront us as something foreign, they rule us; what we do is done under the compulsion they exert over us. If they are transformed from being a foreign entity into a deed completely originating within our own I, then the compulsion ceases. That which compelled us, has become our own being. The laws no longer rule over us; in us they rule over the deed issuing from our I. To carry out a deed under the influence of a law external to the person who brings the deed to realization, is a deed done in unfreedom. To carry out a deed ruled by a law that lies within the one who brings it about, is a deed done in freedom. To recognize the laws of one's deeds, means to become conscious of one's own freedom. Thus the process of knowledge is the process of development toward freedom.
[ 9 ] Not all our deeds have this character. Often we do not possess knowledge of the laws governing our deeds. Such deeds form a part of our activity which is unfree. In contrast, there is that other part where we make ourselves completely at one with the laws. This is the free sphere. Only insofar as man is able to live in this sphere, can he be called moral. To transform the first sphere of our activity into one that has the character of the second is the task of every individual's development, as well as the task of mankind as a whole.
[ 10 ] The most important problem of all human thinking is: to understand man as a free personality, whose very foundation is himself.
VIII. Praktische Schlussbetrachtung
[ 1 ] Die Stellung unserer erkennenden Persönlichkeit zum objektiven Weltwesen war es, worüber wir durch die vorhergehenden Betrachtungen Aufschluß verlangten. Was bedeutet für uns der Besitz von Erkenntnis und Wissenschaft? Das war die Frage, nach deren Beantwortung wir suchten.
[ 2 ] Wir haben gesehen, daß sich in unserem Wissen der innerste Kern der Welt auslebt. Die gesetzmäßige Harmonie, von der das Weltall beherrscht wird, kommt in der menschlichen Erkenntnis zur Erscheinung.
[ 3 ] Es gehört somit zum Berufe des Menschen, die Grundgesetze der Welt, die sonst zwar alles Dasein beherrschen, aber nie selbst zum Dasein kommen würden, in das Gebiet der erscheinenden Wirklichkeit zu versetzen. Das ist das Wesen des Wissens, daß sich in ihm der in der objektiven Realität nie aufzufindende Weltengrund darstellt. Unser Erkennen ist - bildlich gesprochen - ein stetiges Hineinleben in den Weltengrund.
[ 4 ] Eine solche Überzeugung muß auch Licht auf unsere praktische Lebensauffassung werfen.
[ 5 ] Unsere Lebensführung ist ihrem ganzen Charakter nach bestimmt durch unsere sittlichen Ideale. Diese sind die Ideen, die wir von unseren Aufgaben im Leben haben, oder mit anderen Worten, die wir von dem machen, was wir durch unser Handeln vollbringen sollen.
[ 6 ] Unser Handeln ist ein Teil des allgemeinen Weltgeschehens. Es steht somit auch unter der allgemeinen Gesetzmäßigkeit dieses Geschehens.
[ 7 ] Wenn nun irgendwo im Universum ein Geschehen auftritt, so ist an demselben ein Zweifaches zu unterscheiden: der äußere Verlauf desselben in Raum und Zeit und die innere Gesetzmäßigkeit davon.
[ 8 ] Die Erkenntnis dieser Gesetzmäßigkeit für das menschliche Handeln ist nur ein besonderer Fall des Erkennens. Die von uns über die Natur der Erkenntnis abgeleiteten Anschauungen müssen also auch hier anwendbar sein. Sich als handelnde Persönlichkeit erkennen heißt somit: für sein Handeln die entsprechenden Gesetze, d.h. die sittlichen Begriffe und Ideale als Wissen zu besitzen. Wenn wir diese Gesetzmäßigkeit erkannt haben, dann ist unser Handeln auch unser Werk. Die Gesetzmäßigkeit ist dann nicht als etwas gegeben, was außerhalb des Objektes liegt, an dem das Geschehen erscheint, sondern als der Inhalt des in lebendigem Tun begriffenen Objektes selbst. Das Objekt ist in diesem Falle unser eigenes Ich. Hat dies letztere sein Handeln dem Wesen nach wirklich erkennend durchdrungen, dann fühlt es sich zugleich als den Beherrscher desselben. Solange ein solches nicht stattfindet, stehen die Gesetze des Handelns uns als etwas Fremdes gegenüber, sie beherrschen uns; was wir vollbringen, steht unter dem Zwange, den sie auf uns ausüben. Sind sie aus solcher fremden Wesenheit in das ureigene Tun unseres Ich verwandelt, dann hört dieser Zwang auf. Das Zwingende ist unser eigenes Wesen geworden. Die Gesetzmäßigkeit herrscht nicht mehr über uns, sondern in uns über das von unserm Ich ausgehende Geschehen. Die Verwirklichung eines Geschehens vermöge einer außer dem Verwirklicher stehenden Gesetzmäßigkeit ist ein Akt der Unfreiheit, jene durch den Verwirklicher selbst ein solcher der Freiheit. Die Gesetze seines Handelns erkennen heißt sich seiner Freiheit bewußt sein. Der Erkenntnisprozeß ist, nach unseren Ausführungen, der Entwicklungsprozeß zur Freiheit.
[ 9 ] Nicht alles menschliche Handeln trägt diesen Charakter. In vielen Fällen besitzen wir die Gesetze für unser Handeln nicht als Wissen. Dieser Teil unseres Handelns ist der unfreie Teil unseres Wirkens. Ihm gegenüber steht derjenige, wo wir uns in diese Gesetze vollkommen einleben. Das ist das freie Gebiet. Sofern unser Leben ihm angehört, ist es allein als sittliches zu bezeichnen. Die Verwandlung des ersten Gebietes in ein solches mit dem Charakter des zweiten ist die Aufgabe jeder individuellen Entwicklung, wie auch jener der ganzen Menschheit.
[ 10 ] Das wichtigste Problem alles menschlichen Denkens ist das: den Menschen als auf sich selbst gegründete, freie Persönlichkeit zu begreifen.
VIII Practical conclusion
[ 1 ] The position of our cognizing personality in relation to the objective being of the world was the subject of our previous considerations. What does the possession of knowledge and science mean to us? That was the question we were looking for an answer to.
[ 2 ] We have seen that the innermost core of the world is expressed in our knowledge. The lawful harmony that governs the universe is manifested in human knowledge.
[ 3 ] It is thus part of man's vocation to transfer the fundamental laws of the world, which otherwise dominate all existence but would never come into existence themselves, into the realm of apparent reality. This is the essence of knowledge, that in it the ground of the world, which can never be found in objective reality, presents itself. Our cognition is - figuratively speaking - a constant living into the ground of the world.
[ 4 ] Such a conviction must also shed light on our practical view of life.
[ 5 ] The whole character of our way of life is determined by our moral ideals. These are the ideas we have of our tasks in life, or in other words, the ideas we have of what we should accomplish through our actions.
[ 6 ] Our actions are part of general world events. It is therefore also subject to the general lawfulness of these events.
[ 7 ] If an event occurs somewhere in the universe, there is a twofold distinction to be made: the external course of it in space and time and the internal lawfulness of it.
[ 8 ] The realization of this lawfulness for human action is only a special case of cognition. The views we have derived about the nature of cognition must therefore also be applicable here. To recognize oneself as an acting personality thus means: to possess the corresponding laws for one's actions, i.e. the moral concepts and ideals as knowledge. If we have recognized this lawfulness, then our actions are also our work. The lawfulness is then not given as something that lies outside the object on which the action appears, but as the content of the object itself that is conceived in living action. In this case, the object is our own ego. If the latter has really penetrated its action in a recognizing way, then it also feels itself to be the master of it. As long as this does not take place, the laws of action stand opposite us as something alien, they dominate us; what we accomplish is under the compulsion that they exert on us. Once they have been transformed from such a foreign entity into the very own actions of our ego, this compulsion ceases. The compulsion has become our own being. Lawfulness no longer rules over us, but in us over the events emanating from our ego. The realization of an event by means of a lawfulness that stands outside the realizer is an act of bondage, the realization by the realizer himself is an act of freedom. Recognizing the laws of one's actions means being aware of one's freedom. The process of cognition is, according to our explanations, the process of development towards freedom.
[ 9 ] Not all human action has this character. In many cases, we do not possess the laws for our actions as knowledge. This part of our actions is the unfree part of our actions. On the other hand, there is the part where we are fully integrated into these laws. This is the free area. Insofar as our life belongs to it, it can only be described as moral. The transformation of the first area into one with the character of the second is the task of every individual development, as well as that of humanity as a whole.
[ 10 ] The most important problem of all human thinking is this: to understand man as a free personality based on himself.