The nature of man : approached through the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner

whole body is indeed reflected in the head. And if in the ascent to the vertical the human succeeds in giving freedom to the head. balanced, poised, almost free flying, it also gives the legs over to the earth; only the human form has a straight knee. The human, through legs, truly columns, grows down on to the earth, stands and walks upon the earth. Animals only touch the earth, mostly only with the tips of their fingers and toes. In the human form are expressed the extreme polarities, related both to heaven and earth and holding the balance between them, refusing to fall one-sidedly into any speciality. Does not this point to something active in the human being which brings about this upright stance, and also brings about walking, speaking and thinking; something which organically gives evidence of its existence in the holding back from the animal limitations. This something says no to the fall into mere animal existence, mere imprisonment in the determinism of organic form and adaptation to the special environment. This something, when it first becomes conscious of itself, manifests by saying “No’ to its mother’s orders. Usually this comes about at around 3 years of age.

This inhibiting action also shows itself in the slow maturation of the human being, sexual maturity being achieved only at around 14 years of age. In the human, moreover, this sexual maturity marks the beginning of the individual’s mental and emotional flowering. Our organisms too go on developing into our late twenties. In animals sexual maturity marks a culmination, and gradual ageing without further unfolding of new faculties sets in. Enough has been said to indicate in which directions we must turn our attention in order to become aware of the fourth element or principle in Man which distinguishes him from the animal realm and to which Steiner points as the Ego or spiritual kernel in Man. To the yet greater cognitional power which can unite itself with the spiritual realities Steiner gave the name Intuition.

We have thus been led to distinguish four elements, constitutuents or principles which together form the nature of the human being. Firstly a physical body of mass and inertia, through which man is related to the dead world of the mineral kingdom. Secondly an etheric body of lightness and dynamics, through which life unfolds and which man shares with the living kingdom

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