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81-764: Järna has long been the centre of the anthroposophical movement in Sweden, and there is a private clinic, several schools and other institutions affiliated with the movement. A lot of the buildings, in the nearby village of Ytterjärna , are designed by the Danish-born anthroposophical architect Erik Asmussen (1913–1998), including the Cultural Centre in Ytterjärna, which in 2001 was voted the second best-liked modern building in Sweden. Beata Bergström , photographer, resided here. This article about

162-773: A homeopathic hospital in Munich , and since 1999 has been a British citizen. Ernst is the founder of two medical journals : Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies (of which he was editor-in-chief until it was discontinued in 2016) and Perfusion . Ernst's writing appeared in a regular column in The Guardian , where he reviewed news stories about complementary medicine from an evidence-based medicine perspective. Since his research began on alternative modalities, Ernst has been seen as "the scourge of alternative medicine" for publishing critical research that exposes methods that lack documentation of efficacy. In 2015 he

243-605: A "maverick educator". Biodynamic agriculture, is a form of alternative agriculture based on pseudo-scientific and esoteric concepts. It was also the first intentional form of organic farming, begun in 1924, when Rudolf Steiner gave a series of lectures published in English as The Agriculture Course . Steiner is considered one of the founders of the modern organic farming movement. "And Himmler, Hess, and Darré all promoted biodynamic (anthroposophic) approaches to farming as an alternative to industrial agriculture." "'[...] with

324-690: A 2008 publication in the British Journal of General Practice , his listed treatments that "demonstrably generate more good than harm" was limited to acupuncture for nausea and osteoarthritis ; aromatherapy as a palliative treatment for cancer ; hypnosis for labour pain; massage, music therapy , relaxation therapy for anxiety and insomnia ; and some plant extracts such as St John's wort for depression ; hawthorn for congestive heart failure ; guar gum for diabetes . In our book More Good Than Harm? ... ethicist Kevin Smith and I discuss

405-479: A 2009 article entitled "Should We Maintain an Open Mind about Homeopathy?" published in the American Journal of Medicine , Ernst and Michael Baum —writing to other physicians—offered strong criticism of homeopathy: Homeopathy is among the worst examples of faith-based medicine. ... These axioms [of homeopathy] are not only out of line with scientific facts but also directly opposed to them. If homeopathy

486-411: A Spiritual Path ). Here, Steiner developed a concept of free will based on inner experiences, especially those that occur in the creative activity of independent thought. "Steiner was a moral individualist". By the beginning of the twentieth century, Steiner's interests turned almost exclusively to spirituality. His work began to draw the attention of others interested in spiritual ideas; among these

567-725: A common whole, by satisfying a demand not met by orthodoxy or by diversifying the conceptual frameworks of medicine." Ernst asserts that, in Germany and Austria, complementary techniques are mostly practiced by qualified physicians, whereas in the UK they are mainly practiced by others. He also argues that the term "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" ("CAM") is an almost nonsensical umbrella term, and that distinctions between its modalities must be made. Since his research began on alternative modalities, Ernst has been seen as "the scourge of alternative medicine" for publishing critical research. In

648-427: A document that is in the process of being reviewed and revised prior to publication. This breach of confidence is to be deplored." Prince Charles' private secretary, Sir Michael Peat , also filed a complaint regarding breached confidentiality with Exeter University. Although he was "cleared of wrongdoing", Ernst has said that circumstances surrounding the ensuing university investigation led to his retirement . In

729-662: A homeopathic hospital in Munich , when he began his medical career. In 1988, he became Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at Hannover Medical School and in 1990 Head of the PMR Department at the University of Vienna. The world's first professor of complementary medicine, Ernst researches complementary medicine with an emphasis on efficacy and safety. His research mainly surveys systematic reviews and meta-analyses of clinical trials ;

810-533: A location in Stockholm County , Sweden is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Anthroposophy Anthroposophy is a spiritual new religious movement which was founded in the early 20th century by the esotericist Rudolf Steiner that postulates the existence of an objective , intellectually comprehensible spiritual world, accessible to human experience. Followers of anthroposophy aim to engage in spiritual discovery through

891-605: A mode of thought independent of sensory experience. Though proponents claim to present their ideas in a manner that is verifiable by rational discourse and say that they seek precision and clarity comparable to that obtained by scientists investigating the physical world, many of these ideas have been termed pseudoscientific by experts in epistemology and debunkers of pseudoscience. Anthroposophy has its roots in German idealism , Western and Eastern esoteric ideas, various religious traditions, and modern Theosophy . Steiner chose

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972-420: A musician, but his mother persuaded him that medicine might be a good "sideline" career for him to pursue. Ernst qualified as a doctor in Germany in 1978 where he also completed his M.D. and Ph.D. theses. He has received training in acupuncture , autogenic training , herbalism , homoeopathy , massage therapy and spinal manipulation . He learned homeopathy, acupuncture and other modalities whilst at

1053-486: A person's lives, or karma . The anthroposophical view of evolution considers all animals to have evolved from an early, unspecialized form. As the least specialized animal, human beings have maintained the closest connection to the archetypal form; contrary to the Darwinian conception of human evolution, all other animals devolve from this archetype. The spiritual archetype originally created by spiritual beings

1134-577: A person's spiritual development could occur only after a period of moral development. In 1912, Steiner broke away from the Theosophical Society to found an independent group, which he named the Anthroposophical Society. After World War I , members of the young society began applying Steiner's ideas to create cultural movements in areas such as traditional and special education , farming, and medicine . By 1923,

1215-408: A progressive direction of evolution, has led to an excessive reliance on abstraction and a loss of contact with both natural and spiritual realities. However, to go further requires new capacities that combine the clarity of intellectual thought with the imagination and with consciously achieved inspiration and intuitive insights. Anthroposophy speaks of the reincarnation of the human spirit: that

1296-1502: A range of fields including education (both in Waldorf schools and in the Camphill movement ), environmental conservation and banking ; with additional applications in agriculture , organizational development , the arts , and more. The Anthroposophical Society is headquartered at the Goetheanum in Dornach , Switzerland . Anthroposophy's supporters include writers Saul Bellow , and Selma Lagerlöf , painters Piet Mondrian , Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint , filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky , child psychiatrist Eva Frommer , music therapist Maria Schüppel , Romuva religious founder Vydūnas , and former president of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia . While critics and proponents alike acknowledge Steiner's many anti-racist statements. "Steiner's collected works...contain pervasive internal contradictions and inconsistencies on racial and national questions." The historian of religion Olav Hammer has termed anthroposophy "the most important esoteric society in European history". Many scientists, physicians, and philosophers, including Michael Shermer , Michael Ruse , Edzard Ernst , David Gorski , and Simon Singh have criticized anthroposophy's application in

1377-451: A republican. I do have considerable doubts that Charles will be a good King (his reign might even be the end of the monarchy), and I did help the republican cause on several occasions but I never formally joined any such group (in general, I am not a joiner of parties, clubs or interest groups)." In a May 1995 Annals of Internal Medicine publication, Ernst detailed the Nazi "cleansing" of

1458-631: A review of Trick or Treatment in the New England Journal of Medicine , Donald Marcus described Ernst as "one of the best qualified people to summarize the evidence on this topic." In 2008, Ernst sent an open letter urging the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain to crack down on high street chemists that sell homeopathic remedies without warning that the remedies lack evidence for claimed biological effects. According to him, this disinformation would be

1539-403: A review of the book for Skeptical Inquirer , Harriet Hall called Ernst the "world's foremost expert on the claims and the evidence (or lack thereof) for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)." Hall said that Ernst and Smith direct their attention to the ethicists and the scientific community for this book with the goal "to inform, not to entertain. It is not a easy or 'fun' read, but it

1620-443: A schism had formed between older members, focused on inner development, and younger members eager to become active in contemporary social transformations. In response, Steiner attempted to bridge the gap by establishing an overall School for Spiritual Science . As a spiritual basis for the reborn movement, Steiner wrote a Foundation Stone Meditation which remains a central touchstone of anthroposophical ideas. Steiner died just over

1701-599: A variety of communities: for example in the favelas of São Paulo to wealthy suburbs of major cities; in India, Egypt , Australia, the Netherlands, Mexico and South Africa. Though most of the early Waldorf schools were teacher-founded, the schools today are usually initiated and later supported by a parent community. Waldorf schools are among the most visible anthroposophical institutions. Benjamin Lazier calls Steiner

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1782-503: A violation of their ethical code: My plea is simply for honesty. Let people buy what they want, but tell them the truth about what they are buying. These treatments are biologically implausible and the clinical tests have shown they don't do anything at all in human beings. The argument that this information is not relevant or important for customers is quite simply ridiculous. In a 2008 interview with Media Life Magazine , when he and Simon Singh were asked this question—"What do you think

1863-539: A year later, in 1925. The Second World War temporarily hindered the anthroposophical movement in most of Continental Europe, as the Anthroposophical Society and most of its practical counter-cultural applications were banned by the Nazi government . Though at least one prominent member of the Nazi Party, Rudolf Hess , was a strong supporter of anthroposophy, very few anthroposophists belonged to

1944-414: Is an important one". Dougal Jeffries, writing for the British Journal of General Practice , said the book was "replete with both theoretical and real-life examples and is thoroughly referenced, but is a rather turgid read. It clearly demonstrates the extraordinary capacity of intelligent beings, including both practitioners and patients, to hold to irrational beliefs in the face of contrary evidence, but

2025-439: Is correct, much of physics, chemistry, and pharmacology must be incorrect.... To have an open mind about homeopathy or similarly implausible forms of alternative medicine (e.g., Bach flower remedies , spiritual healing , crystal therapy ) is therefore not an option. In 2018, Ernst and co-author Kevin Smith, a medical ethicist, published the book More Harm Than Good? The Moral Maze of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In

2106-618: Is helped in this task by the mediation of the Representative of Humanity , also known as the Christ being, a spiritual entity who stands between and harmonizes the two extremes. There is a pedagogical movement with over 1000 Steiner or Waldorf schools (the latter name stems from the first such school, founded in Stuttgart in 1919) located in some 60 countries; the great majority of these are independent (private) schools. Sixteen of

2187-475: Is that good is found in the balance between two polar influences on world and human evolution. These are often described through their mythological embodiments as spiritual adversaries which endeavour to tempt and corrupt humanity, Lucifer and his counterpart Ahriman . These have both positive and negative aspects. Lucifer is the light spirit, which "plays on human pride and offers the delusion of divinity", but also motivates creativity and spirituality ; Ahriman

2268-450: Is the dark spirit that tempts human beings to "...deny [their] link with divinity and to live entirely on the material plane ", but that also stimulates intellectuality and technology . Both figures exert a negative effect on humanity when their influence becomes misplaced or one-sided, yet their influences are necessary for human freedom to unfold. Each human being has the task to find a balance between these opposing influences, and each

2349-477: Is the human being, and philosophy's highest aim is self-knowledge, or Anthroposophy." In 1882, the philosopher Robert Zimmermann published the treatise, "An Outline of Anthroposophy: Proposal for a System of Idealism on a Realistic Basis," proposing that idealistic philosophy should employ logical thinking to extend empirical experience. Steiner attended lectures by Zimmermann at the University of Vienna in

2430-567: Is true that Charles's office denied that Charles knew about his 1st private secretary writing to my Vice Chancellor asking him to investigate my alleged breach of confidence." Ernst claims that as Sir Michael Peat wrote his letter in his capacity as the Prince's private secretary, Ernst finds that "exceedingly hard to believe." Ernst's book, Charles, the Alternative Prince: An Unauthorised Biography ,

2511-560: The Akashic Records (sometimes called the "Akasha Chronicle"), thought to be a spiritual chronicle of the history, pre-history, and future of the world and mankind. In a number of works, Steiner described a path of inner development he felt would let anyone attain comparable spiritual experiences. In Steiner's view, sound vision could be developed, in part, by practicing rigorous forms of ethical and cognitive self-discipline, concentration, and meditation. In particular, Steiner believed

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2592-669: The University of Vienna , but left this position in 1993 to set up the department of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter in England. He became director of complementary medicine of the Peninsula Medical School (PMS) in 2002. Ernst was the first occupant of the Laing chair in Complementary Medicine, retiring in 2011. He was born and trained in Germany, where he began his medical career at

2673-590: The 1 January 2006 edition of the British Journal of General Practice , Ernst gave a detailed criticism of the report. In 2008, Ernst and Simon Singh published Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial . The authors challenged the Prince of Wales, to whom the book is (ironically) dedicated, and The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health on alleged misrepresentation of "scientific evidence about therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture and reflexology". They asserted that Britons spent £500 million each year on unproven or disproven alternative therapies. In

2754-487: The Anthroposophical Society had been established in fifty countries and about 10,000 institutions around the world were working on the basis of anthroposophical ideas. Anthroposophy is an amalgam of the Greek terms ἄνθρωπος ( anthropos 'human') and σοφία ( sophia 'wisdom'). An early English usage is recorded by Nathan Bailey (1742) as meaning "the knowledge of the nature of man." The first known use of

2835-627: The General Anthroposophical Society, Guenther Wachsmuth, as well as Steiner's widow, Marie Steiner, were “completely pro-Nazi.” Marie Steiner-von Sivers, Guenther Wachsmuth, and Albert Steffen, had publicly expressed sympathy for the Nazi regime since its beginnings; led by such sympathies of their leadership, the Swiss and German Anthroposophical organizations chose for a path conflating accommodation with collaboration, which in

2916-661: The National Socialist Party. In reality, Steiner had both enemies and loyal supporters in the upper echelons of the Nazi regime. Staudenmaier speaks of the "polycratic party-state apparatus", so Nazism's approach to Anthroposophy was not characterized by monolithic ideological unity. When Hess flew to the UK and was imprisoned, their most powerful protector was gone, but Anthroposophists were still not left without supporters among higher-placed Nazis. The Third Reich had banned almost all esoteric organizations, claiming that these were controlled by Jews. The truth

2997-453: The Nazi regime. Yet when Hitler threatened to suppress the Anthroposophical Society, its executive council—which had recently expelled much of its membership—chose to collaborate rather than resist. Marie Steiner, Günther Wachsmuth, and Albert Steffen knew of Hitler’s violent intentions toward the Jewish people, since Hitler’s attacks on anthroposophy included the accusation that anthroposophy

3078-472: The Prince about the merits of alternative therapies" and stated that he "accused Britain's heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and other backers of alternative therapies on Monday of being ' snake-oil salesmen ' who promote products with no scientific basis", and that the dispute "had cost him his job – a claim Prince Charles's office denied". According to Ernst, "The snake oil salesman story is an entirely separate issue", which "happened years later." He added, "It

3159-580: The SD and Gestapo recognized that they faced influential adversaries in other sectors of the Nazi hierarchy. They knew that Hess and his staff, Baeumler in the Amt Rosenberg, and Ohlendorf in the SD itself were willing to intervene on behalf of anthroposophical endeavors. Minister of Agriculture Darré and Lotar Eickhoff in the Interior Ministry were also seen as sympathizers of anthroposophy, and

3240-672: The SD considered the head of the party’s “Examination Commission for Safeguarding National Socialist Writings,” Karl Heinz Hederich, a supporter of occultists and astrologers. While anthroposophists were in the center of the SD’s sights, they were supposed to receive relatively mild treatment compared to other occultists. Despite these measures, anthroposophist authors were able to write long after June 1941. Franz Dreidax, Max Karl Schwarz, Elisabeth Klein, Johannes Bertram-Pingel, Georg Halbe, Otto Julius Hartmann, Rudolf Hauschka, Jürgen von Grone, Wolfgang Schuchhardt and others continued to publish throughout

3321-611: The Society was oriented toward an Eastern and especially Indian approach, Steiner was trying to develop a path that embraced Christianity and natural science . The split became irrevocable when Annie Besant , then president of the Theosophical Society, presented the child Jiddu Krishnamurti as the reincarnated Christ. Steiner strongly objected and considered any comparison between Krishnamurti and Christ to be nonsense; many years later, Krishnamurti also repudiated

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3402-839: The University of Vienna medical faculty that allowed the "medical atrocities" of Nazi human experimentation . In 2001, Ernst sat on the Scientific Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products of the Irish Medicines Board . In 2005, he was a member of the Medicines Commission of the British Medicines Control Agency (now part of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ) which determines which substances may be introduced and promoted as medicine. In 2008, he

3483-460: The active cooperation of the Reich League for Biodynamic Agriculture' [...] Pancke, Pohl, and Hans Merkel established additional biodynamic plantations across the eastern territories as well as Dachau, Ravensbrück, and Auschwitz concentration camps. Many were staffed by anthroposophists." "Steiner’s 'biodynamic agriculture' based on 'restoring the quasi-mystical relationship between earth and

3564-522: The animal kingdom did not precede, but rather accompanied the process of human incarnation. Man is thus not the end result of the evolution of the animals, but is rather in a certain sense their cause . In the succession of types which appears in the fossil record-the fishes, reptiles, mammals, and finally fossil remains of man himself — the stages of this process of incarnation are reflected. Anthroposophy adapted Theosophy 's complex system of cycles of world development and human evolution. The evolution of

3645-533: The areas of medicine, biology, agriculture, and education to be dangerous and pseudoscientific . Ideas of Steiner's that are unsupported or disproven by modern science include: racial evolution, clairvoyance ( Steiner claimed he was clairvoyant), and the Atlantis myth. The early work of the founder of anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner , culminated in his Philosophy of Freedom (also translated as The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity and Intuitive Thinking as

3726-522: The assertion. Steiner's continuing differences with Besant led him to separate from the Theosophical Society Adyar . He was subsequently followed by the great majority of the Theosophical Society's German members, as well as many members of other national sections. By this time, Steiner had reached considerable stature as a spiritual teacher and expert in the occult . He spoke about what he considered to be his direct experience of

3807-563: The authors show little sympathy for this very human tendency." Ernst was accused by Prince Charles' private secretary of having breached a confidentiality agreement regarding the 2005 Smallwood report. After being subjected to a "very unpleasant" investigation by the University of Exeter , the university "accepted his innocence but continued, in his view, to treat him as 'persona non grata'. All fundraising for his unit ceased, forcing him to use up its core funding and allow its 15 staff to drift away." Writing in 2022, after Charles' accession to

3888-515: The cosmos' was widely accepted in the Third Reich (28)." Anthroposophical medicine is a form of alternative medicine based on pseudoscientific and occult notions rather than in science-based medicine . Most anthroposophic medical preparations are highly diluted, like homeopathic remedies, while harmless in of themselves, using them in place of conventional medicine to treat illness is ineffective and risks adverse consequences. One of

3969-466: The early 1880s, thus at the time of this book's publication. In the early 1900s, Steiner began using the term anthroposophy (i.e. human wisdom) as an alternative to the term theosophy (i.e. divine wisdom). Anthroposophical proponents aim to extend the clarity of the scientific method to phenomena of human soul-life and spiritual experiences. Steiner believed this required developing new faculties of objective spiritual perception, which he maintained

4050-415: The end ensured that while the Nazi regime hunted the esoteric organizations, Gentile Anthroposophists from Nazi Germany and countries occupied by it were let be to a surprising extent. Of course they had some setbacks from the enemies of Anthroposophy among the upper echelons of the Nazi regime, but Anthroposophists also had loyal supporters among them, so overall Gentile Anthroposophists were not badly hit by

4131-480: The evidence". The report did not address whether CAM treatments were actually effective and Ernst described it as "complete misleading rubbish". Ernst was, in turn, criticised by The Lancet editor Richard Horton for disclosing contents of the report while it was still in draft form. In a 29 August 2005 letter to The Times Horton wrote: "Professor Ernst seems to have broken every professional code of scientific behaviour by disclosing correspondence referring to

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4212-507: The facts and, if reasonable, defend its professor from outside attacks. The facts could have been established over a cup of tea with the Vice Chancellor in less than half an hour. When my department had been destroyed in the process, I retired voluntarily and was subsequently re-employed for half a year to help find a successor. In retrospect, I see this move as a smart ploy by the University to keep me sweet and prevent me from going to

4293-505: The faculty of self-awareness unique to human beings. Anthroposophy describes a broad evolution of human consciousness. Early stages of human evolution possess an intuitive perception of reality, including a clairvoyant perception of spiritual realities. Humanity has progressively evolved an increasing reliance on intellectual faculties and a corresponding loss of intuitive or clairvoyant experiences, which have become atavistic . The increasing intellectualization of consciousness, initially

4374-442: The future is for alternative medicine?"—they replied: For us, there is no such thing as alternative medicine. There is either medicine that is effective or not, medicine that is safe or not. So-called alternative therapies need to be assessed and then classified as good medicines or bogus medicines. Hopefully, in the future, the good medicines will be embraced within conventional medicine and the bogus medicines will be abandoned. In

4455-435: The human being passes between stages of existence, incarnating into an earthly body, living on earth, leaving the body behind, and entering into the spiritual worlds before returning to be born again into a new life on earth. After the death of the physical body, the human spirit recapitulates the past life, perceiving its events as they were experienced by the objects of its actions. A complex transformation takes place between

4536-501: The individual from any external authority. For Steiner, the human capacity for rational thought would allow individuals to comprehend spiritual research on their own and bypass the danger of dependency on an authority such as himself. Steiner contrasted the anthroposophical approach with both conventional mysticism , which he considered lacking the clarity necessary for exact knowledge, and natural science , which he considered arbitrarily limited to what can be seen, heard, or felt with

4617-499: The institute has not performed a clinical trial for some time due to budget constraints. He has over 700 papers published in scientific journals. He has said that about five percent of alternative medicine is backed by evidence, with the remainder being either insufficiently studied or backed by evidence showing lack of efficacy. Ernst's department at Exeter defined complementary medicine as "diagnosis, treatment and/or prevention which complements mainstream medicine by contributing to

4698-432: The many ethical issues around alternative medicine and essentially conclude that it is not possible to practice alternative medicine ethically. Ernst presented at the first Global Congress on Scientific Thinking and Action , which took place on 17–20 March 2021. He spoke about the risk and dangers of alternative medicine, pointing to homeopathy and chiropractic as the most problematic areas within alternative medicine at

4779-533: The mentally and physically disabled, continued to reflect the Third Reich's underlying ambivalence toward policing the occult. Kurlander stated that "the Nazis were hardly ideologically opposed to the supernatural sciences themselves"—rather they objected to the free (i.e. non-totalitarian) pursuit of supernatural sciences. According to Hans Büchenbacher, an anthroposophist, the Secretary General of

4860-771: The most studied applications has been the use of mistletoe extracts in cancer therapy, but research has found no evidence of benefit. In 1922, Ita Wegman founded an anthroposophical center for special needs education, the Sonnenhof, in Switzerland. In 1940, Karl König founded the Camphill Movement in Scotland. The latter in particular has spread widely, and there are now over a hundred Camphill communities and other anthroposophical homes for children and adults in need of special care in about 22 countries around

4941-446: The nature of man and his state after death. The term began to appear with some frequency in philosophical works of the mid- and late-nineteenth century. In the early part of that century, Ignaz Troxler used the term anthroposophy to refer to philosophy deepened to self-knowledge, which he suggested allows deeper knowledge of nature as well. He spoke of human nature as a mystical unity of God and world. Immanuel Hermann Fichte used

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5022-400: The outward senses. In Theosophy , Steiner suggested that human beings unite a physical body of substances gathered from and returning to the inorganic world; a life body (also called the etheric body ), in common with all living creatures (including plants); a bearer of sentience or consciousness (also called the astral body ), in common with all animals ; and the ego, which anchors

5103-416: The press. A successor was never hired; one good candidate was found but he was told that he had to find 100% of the funds to do the job. Nobody of high repute would have found this acceptable, and thus the only good candidate was not even tempted to accept the position." He retired in 2011, two years ahead of his official retirement. In July 2011, a Reuters article described his "long-running dispute with

5184-402: The review of the past life and the preparation for the next life. The individual's karmic condition eventually leads to a choice of parents, physical body, disposition, and capacities that provide the challenges and opportunities that further development requires, which includes karmically chosen tasks for the future life. Steiner described some conditions that determine the interdependence of

5265-552: The schools have been affiliated with the United Nations' UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network , which sponsors education projects that foster improved quality of education throughout the world. Waldorf schools receive full or partial governmental funding in some European nations, Australia and in parts of the United States (as Waldorf method public or charter schools) and Canada. The schools have been founded in

5346-451: The term anthroposophy (from Greek ἄνθρωπος anthropos- , 'human', and σοφία sophia , 'wisdom') to emphasize his philosophy's humanistic orientation. He defined it as "a scientific exploration of the spiritual world", others have variously called it a "philosophy and cultural movement", a "spiritual movement", a "spiritual science", "a system of thought", or "a spiritualist movement". Anthroposophical ideas have been applied in

5427-518: The term anthroposophy occurs within Arbatel de magia veterum, summum sapientiae studium , a book published anonymously in 1575 and attributed to Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa . The work describes anthroposophy (as well as theosophy) variously as an understanding of goodness, nature, or human affairs. In 1648, the Welsh philosopher Thomas Vaughan published his Anthroposophia Theomagica, or a discourse of

5508-472: The term anthroposophy to refer to "rigorous human self-knowledge," achievable through thorough comprehension of the human spirit and of the working of God in this spirit, in his 1856 work Anthropology: The Study of the Human Soul . In 1872, the philosopher of religion Gideon Spicker used the term anthroposophy to refer to self-knowledge that would unite God and world: "the true study of the human being

5589-484: The throne , Ernst said, "There never was a formal confidentiality agreement with signature etc. But I did feel bound to keep the contents of the Smallwood report confidential. The investigation by my University was not just 'very unpleasant', it was also far too long. It lasted 13 months! I had to take lawyers against my own University! In addition, it was unnecessary, not least because a University should simply establish

5670-497: The time. In 2005, a report by economist Christopher Smallwood , personally commissioned by Prince Charles , claimed that CAM was cost-effective and should be available in the National Health Service (NHS). Ernst was initially enlisted as a collaborator on the report, but asked for his name to be removed after a sight of the draft report convinced him that Smallwood had "written the conclusions before looking at

5751-444: The war. But serious disruptions were common. Morals: Anthroposophy was not the stake of that dispute, but merely powerful Nazis wanting to get rid of other powerful Nazis. E.g. Jehovah's Witnesses were treated much more aggressively than Anthroposophists. Yet, the relative moderation of Heydrich's action, which paled in comparison to measures taken against communists and socialists, Jews, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as

5832-508: The world is said to have occurred in cycles. The first phase of the world consisted only of heat. In the second phase, a more active condition, light, and a more condensed, gaseous state separate out from the heat. In the third phase, a fluid state arose, as well as a sounding, forming energy. In the fourth (current) phase, solid physical matter first exists. This process is said to have been accompanied by an evolution of consciousness which led up to present human culture. The anthroposophical view

5913-560: The world. Both Karl König, Thomas Weihs and others have written extensively on these ideas underlying Special education. Edzard Ernst Edzard Ernst (born 30 January 1948) is a retired British-German academic physician and researcher specializing in the study of complementary and alternative medicine . He was Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter , the world's first such academic position in complementary and alternative medicine. Ernst served as chairman of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at

5994-491: Was aligned with the Jews. Rather than standing in solidarity with Hitler’s other targets, they disavowed any sympathy for Judaism and assured Nazi leaders that both they and Steiner were of pure Aryan heritage. Staudenmaier's overall argument is that "there were often no clear-cut lines between theosophy, anthroposophy, ariosophy, astrology and the völkisch movement from which the Nazi Party arose." By 2007, national branches of

6075-626: Was an external examiner for several university medical schools in several countries. He is a Founding Member and on the Board of the Institute for Science in Medicine, formed in 2009. In February 2011, Ernst was elected as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry . He was editor-in-chief of the journal Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies which he founded in 1995 and which

6156-524: Was awarded the John Maddox Prize , sponsored jointly by Sense about Science and Nature , for courage in standing up for science. Ernst was born in Wiesbaden , Germany, in 1948. As a child, his family doctor was a homeopath, and at the time he saw it as part of medicine. His father and grandfather were both doctors, and his mother was a laboratory assistant. Ernst originally wanted to be

6237-477: Was devoid of physical substance; only later did this descend into material existence on Earth. In this view, human evolution has accompanied the Earth's evolution throughout the existence of the Earth. The evolution of man, Steiner said, has consisted in the gradual incarnation of a spiritual being into a material body. It has been a true "descent" of man from a spiritual world into a world of matter. The evolution of

6318-528: Was published in February 2022. It focuses on Charles's interest in alternative medicine, with a critical assessment of his views. In 2009, Ernst's name appeared on a list of supporters of Republic – an organisation which campaigns for the abolition of the British monarchy. However, writing on his website in 2022, Ernst clarified his position: "Even though Charles did a sterling job in trying, I did not become

6399-424: Was still possible for contemporary humans. The steps of this process of inner development he identified as consciously achieved imagination , inspiration , and intuition . Steiner believed results of this form of spiritual research should be expressed in a way that can be understood and evaluated on the same basis as the results of natural science. Steiner hoped to form a spiritual movement that would free

6480-584: Was that while Anthroposophists complained of bad press, they were to a surprising extent tolerated by the Nazi regime, "including outspokenly supportive pieces in the Völkischer Beobachter ". Ideological purists from Sicherheitsdienst argued largely in vain against Anthroposophy. According to Staudenmaier, "The prospect of unmitigated persecution was held at bay for years in a tenuous truce between pro-anthroposophical and anti-anthroposophical Nazi factions." The anti-esoteric faction ensconced in

6561-446: Was the Theosophical Society . From 1900 on, thanks to the positive reception his ideas received from Theosophists, Steiner focused increasingly on his work with the Theosophical Society , becoming the secretary of its section in Germany in 1902. During his leadership, membership increased dramatically, from just a few individuals to sixty-nine lodges. By 1907, a split between Steiner and the Theosophical Society became apparent. While

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