The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity: A Modern Philosophy of Life Developed by Scientific MethodsSteiner, Rudolf
Religion
The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity: A Modern Philosophy of Life Developed by Scientific Methods
Steiner, Rudolf
Anthroposophy; Free will and determinism; Knowledge, Theory of; Life
The characterological disposition consists of the more or less
permanent content of the individual's life, that is, of his habitual
ideas and feelings. Whether an idea which enters my mind at this
moment stimulates me to an act of will or not, depends on its
relation to my other ideal contents, and also to my peculiar modes of
feeling. My ideal content, in turn, is conditioned by the sum total
of those concepts which have, in the course of my individual life,
come in contact with percepts, that is, have become ideas. This,
again, depends on my greater or lesser capacity for intuition,
and on the range of my perception, that is, on the subjective and
objective factors of my experiences, on the structure of my mind and
on my environment. My affective life more especially determines my
characterological disposition. Whether I shall make a certain idea
or concept the motive for action will depend on whether it gives me
pleasure or pain.
These are the factors which we have to consider in an act of will. The
immediately present idea or concept, which becomes the motive,
determines the end or the purpose of my will; my characterological
disposition determines me to direct my activity towards this end. The
idea of taking a walk in the next half-hour determines the end of
my action. But this idea is raised to the level of a motive only if
it meets with a suitable characterological disposition, that is, if
during my past life I have formed the ideas of the wholesomeness of
walking and the value of health; and, further, if the idea of walking
is accompanied by a feeling of pleasure.
We must, therefore, distinguish (1) the possible subjective
dispositions which are likely to turn given ideas and concepts into
motives, and (2) the possible ideas and concepts which are capable
of so influencing my characterological disposition that an act of
will results. The former are for morality the springs of action,
the latter its ends.
The springs of action in the moral life can be discovered by analysing
the elements of which individual life is composed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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