Man's development forseen in Goethe's Faust

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

The New Atlantis annual Foundation Lectures have been devoted to subjects which might be described as philosophic, scientific, religious and literary—a very wide field, approached by different speakers in different ways. Two themes might be seen to predominate throughout all the fourteen Foundation Lectures so far delivered, in all their variety of subject and approach. These are the significance of the conception of a threefold revelation to mankind, and the immense contribution of great minds and souls to the development of human consciousness.

Dimitrije Mitrinovi¢, who used the name New Atlantis for his school, showed that the immemorial ancient wisdom, the Christian Gospel and doctrine, and the individual insights expressed in works of genius are all aspects of revelation, co-existing and interdependent. He also urged the importance of holding special commemorations dedicated to the life and work of men of genius, as had been proposed by Auguste Comte a century ago, and some of these lectures have in their way been dedicated to that purpose. More particularly Mitrinovié proposed that these commemorations should be devoted to those men of genius whose work had been neglected or misunderstood.

It can hardly be said that the work of Goethe has been neglected, since he is universally acknowledged as one of the great figures of world literature, but nevertheless the latter part of his Faust has up to recently been both neglected and misunderstood.

The most significant exponent for modern times of the first of the three revelations, that revelation of Man and the Universe as an organic wholeness both in time and in space which was first given to mankind in the ancient wisdom, is Rudolf Steiner. Dimitrije Mitrinovié always emphasised the great significance of his work, particularly in making the truth of the ancient wisdom

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