The Rudolf Steiner Archive

First published in 1897 in German as, Goethe's Weltanshauung, this edition is the first English publication of this work, and is the authorised English translation, edited by Harry Collison. Here, Goethe's outlook is presented not only as a self-contained system, but also in connection with the ideas of Schiller and Hegel. A certain emphasis on Platonism is made, and its bearing on Goethe and his outlook. Chapters emphasize Goethe's work, such as the process of metamorphosis, and studies in color.

We present this First Edition work with the kind permission of the Rudolf Steiner Nachlassverwaltung, in Dornach, Switzerland.

• Foreword I
• Foreword II
• Introduction

The Position of Goethe in the Evolution of Western Thought

1. Goethe and Schiller
2. The Platonic Conception of the World
3. Consequences of the Platonic View of the World
4. Goethe and the Platonic View of the World
5. Personality and View of the World
6. The Metamorphosis of Phenomena

Views Concerning Nature and the Development of Living Beings

7. The Doctrine of Metamorphosis
8. The Phenomena of the World of Colour
9. Thoughts Concerning the Evolutionary History of the Earth
10. Observations on Atmospheric Phenomena
11. Goethe and Hegel

• Afterword to the New Edition