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Philosophy Study Group

 

Organizer:  Curt Hillstrom

Date: Feb 12, 2025

Time: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

Location:  via Zoom

We will be beginning a new book, The Philosophy of Freedom, by Rudolf Steiner. Originally published in 1894, this book has been translated many times and has been very influential in some quarters. A new paperback can cost from $7 to $22 and an ebook from $2 to $10, depending on the translation. If you don’t want to spend any money, it can also be found online for free: The Rudolf Steiner archive (https://rsarchive.org/Books/GA004/) has all his books and all English translations available, and on https://philosophyoffreedom.com/page/download/ you can find the book in various formats. The book has also been published under the titles The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity and Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path.

The only translation authorized by the Rudolf Steiner is the original one of 1916 by Prof. and Mrs. R.F. Alfred Hoernlé. While considered an accurate translation, some people criticize it for following too closely to the original German, thus making it rather stiff-sounding in English. Others think the 1964 translation by Michael Wilson is well-done since he understands Steiner’s thought and spirit and writes in a more natural English. There are other translations – including ones trying to tweak the Hoernlés’ – and you are, of course, free to choose whichever one you wish. For the 12th we’ll read the first part, “Knowledge of Freedom.”
Finally, we should note that the book also has been published under several different subtitles, as well, but we are going to ignore those. We’ll just call it The Philosophy of Freedom. If you really want to get into something that makes a difficult matter more difficult, maybe you can involve yourself with the Minnesota State House of Representatives.
Curt