Outline of Occult Science

Austrian philosopher, playwright, and artist Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) is perhaps best known as an educational philosopher and reformer, the founder of Steiner (or Waldorf) schools located around the world. Steiner was an active member and leader of the German branch of Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society before forming his own Anthroposophical Society. His engagement with the occult stems from his work in theosophy and anthroposophy, philosophies invested in reaching and understanding the 'supersensible' world that relies on a cultivation of body, spirit, and soul. This anonymous translation of the fourth German edition was published by the Theosophical Publishing Society in 1914; the first edition was published in Germany in 1909. Steiner asserts in this work the necessary and intrinsic connection between what is possible through cognition with the power of the soul and the spirit. It will be of interest to scholars of spiritual philosophy, spiritual movements, and social psychology.

Foreword to the fourth edition; 1. The character of occult science; 2. The nature of man; 3. Sleep and death; 4. The evolution of the world and man; 5. The perception of higher worlds (concerning initiation); 6. The present and future evolution of the world and of humanity; 7. Details from the domain of occult science; Author's remarks.

Steiner's work argues that body, spirit, and soul are bound together and determine the capacity of cognition. Exploring and developing ideas of occult science, the world, human nature, and similarly large, difficult concepts, this work asserts the existence and importance of the 'supersensible' world.