"Spiritual science does not contradict natural science but provides complete confirmation of scientific facts. However, the people whose task it is to know, are fearful; for complex thoughts, even thinking, in general, men have an unwholesome fear. And just because human beings nowadays find it so easy to learn and after having read a little bit can become an authority – not only an authority, but even a great discoverer of scientific facts – so many absurd theories are being produced. Because if he has a few concepts and knows a few facts, then he can today pretend to be a reformer of scientific knowledge.
Source (German): Rudolf Steiner – GA 167 – Gegenwärtiges und Vergangenes im Menschengeiste – Berlin, May 16, 1916 (page 251)
https://odysseetheater.org/GA/Buecher/GA_167.pdf#view=Fit
Translated by Nesta Carsten-Krüger
Also available in RS Archive: https://rsarchive.org/.../English/TS19xx/19160516p01.html
Art of Nesta Carsten-Krüger
Source (German): Rudolf Steiner – GA 167 – Gegenwärtiges und Vergangenes im Menschengeiste – Berlin, May 16, 1916 (page 251)
https://odysseetheater.org/GA/Buecher/GA_167.pdf#view=Fit
Translated by Nesta Carsten-Krüger
Also available in RS Archive: https://rsarchive.org/.../English/TS19xx/19160516p01.html
Art of Nesta Carsten-Krüger
🔥5
Colour, Wavelength and Turbidity in the Light of Goethe’s Colour Studies | Gopi Krishna Vijaya
https://www.gopivijaya.com/publications
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10838-020-09517-3.pdf
"The polarity of light and dark in the treatment of the Newtonian spectrum and the inverse spectrum is studied further and the validity of heterogeneity of light and darkness in relation to Goethe’s views is examined. In order to clarify the reality of the “darkness rays”, the experimentum crucis is re-evaluated. It is shown that the commonly accepted analysis contains assumptions in the choice of the spectrum and background, which mask the inherent dynamic of the spectrum. The relation between colour and wavelength is re-examined with respect to the immutability and specific refrangibility of colour. It is then shown that both these properties are approximations that apply under the specific conditions that have later become standardized in spectroscopy, leading to a consensus regarding the relation of wavelength to colours of one particular spectrum. This consensus has resulted in the study of colour diverging into spectroscopy and colour physiology. As an alternative, the basis of the dichotomy postulated by Müller is studied, leading to the realization that the resolution of this dichotomy was begun by Goethe with the idea of turbidity. A further study shows that turbidity resolves the apparent incompatibility of light and dark."
https://www.gopivijaya.com/publications
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10838-020-09517-3.pdf
"The polarity of light and dark in the treatment of the Newtonian spectrum and the inverse spectrum is studied further and the validity of heterogeneity of light and darkness in relation to Goethe’s views is examined. In order to clarify the reality of the “darkness rays”, the experimentum crucis is re-evaluated. It is shown that the commonly accepted analysis contains assumptions in the choice of the spectrum and background, which mask the inherent dynamic of the spectrum. The relation between colour and wavelength is re-examined with respect to the immutability and specific refrangibility of colour. It is then shown that both these properties are approximations that apply under the specific conditions that have later become standardized in spectroscopy, leading to a consensus regarding the relation of wavelength to colours of one particular spectrum. This consensus has resulted in the study of colour diverging into spectroscopy and colour physiology. As an alternative, the basis of the dichotomy postulated by Müller is studied, leading to the realization that the resolution of this dichotomy was begun by Goethe with the idea of turbidity. A further study shows that turbidity resolves the apparent incompatibility of light and dark."
Space, Time and Force | Gopi Krishna Vijaya
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_8d4da0c276564c5daa3ae471499b4578.pdf
"Space, time and force all come together in action or activity ...
Action not only contains space, time and forces, but there is another aspect that is closely interwoven with it. That aspect is about how many different ways there exist for the activity to express itself: the dimensions. Activity may occur in one, two or even three dimensions, and this seems to be an intrinsic part of our reality. It can now be examined whether the three qualitative aspects of activity – space, time and force – have anything to do with dimensions. This means that not only their quality, but their experience also has to be understood. For example, how does one experience pressure or force? Observing the inner balance of the body, it is seen that one has to maintain balance both forward and sideways. In addition, there is always a force between the feet and the ground, in the top-bottom direction. This is also a balance, without which one would either sink into the ground or float away upwards. Hence, the inner conditions of balance indicate that force is three-dimensional in nature.
"Space, time and forces are hence properly comprehended by utilizing thinking, feeling and willing respectively. The capacity to develop these skills is centered on the individual human being, who serves as the focus of this entire process. Although in terms of dimensions, the “point of consciousness” is just that – a point – it is all important as the individuality can control all the aspects. An excess in willing can lead to waste of adult efforts on childish ideals such as professional games and sports (as opposed to simple games and sports of childhood). An excess of feeling
can generate lack of attention and can lead to fantasies or sentimentality, or even in self absorption. Finally, an excess of one-dimensional thinking can easily lead to rigidity and an attempt to treat the whole world as a series of linear and logistic relations. This “point” is hence of primary importance, and is also the whole point of this essay"
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_8d4da0c276564c5daa3ae471499b4578.pdf
"Space, time and force all come together in action or activity ...
Action not only contains space, time and forces, but there is another aspect that is closely interwoven with it. That aspect is about how many different ways there exist for the activity to express itself: the dimensions. Activity may occur in one, two or even three dimensions, and this seems to be an intrinsic part of our reality. It can now be examined whether the three qualitative aspects of activity – space, time and force – have anything to do with dimensions. This means that not only their quality, but their experience also has to be understood. For example, how does one experience pressure or force? Observing the inner balance of the body, it is seen that one has to maintain balance both forward and sideways. In addition, there is always a force between the feet and the ground, in the top-bottom direction. This is also a balance, without which one would either sink into the ground or float away upwards. Hence, the inner conditions of balance indicate that force is three-dimensional in nature.
"Space, time and forces are hence properly comprehended by utilizing thinking, feeling and willing respectively. The capacity to develop these skills is centered on the individual human being, who serves as the focus of this entire process. Although in terms of dimensions, the “point of consciousness” is just that – a point – it is all important as the individuality can control all the aspects. An excess in willing can lead to waste of adult efforts on childish ideals such as professional games and sports (as opposed to simple games and sports of childhood). An excess of feeling
can generate lack of attention and can lead to fantasies or sentimentality, or even in self absorption. Finally, an excess of one-dimensional thinking can easily lead to rigidity and an attempt to treat the whole world as a series of linear and logistic relations. This “point” is hence of primary importance, and is also the whole point of this essay"
Gravity, Buoyancy and Levity | Gopi Krishna Vijaya
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_f1450a059fc340368bfc51d8afb3b513.pdf
"Instead of being deviated into electromagnetism, we studied levity directly to show that it has been as ever-present in our surroundings as gravity. It has not been noticed as such on its own footing, leading “levity” or “anti-gravity” to occupy the domain of fringe research, “crackpot” science, or even science fiction. Some independent researchers like Dewey Larson and Miles Mathis have tackled the concept of levity in their individual ways, and have labelled it “outward scalar motion” and “photon charge field” respectively.
When studied using the methods of phenomenology, levity becomes an equal companion of gravity in the constitution of our perceptible world.In the past couple of centuries, science has been very active in projecting the workings of gravity on to the cosmos. Perhaps it is time to unravel the opposite: to observe and understand the workings of the light-filled cosmos in our own humble surroundings."
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_f1450a059fc340368bfc51d8afb3b513.pdf
"Instead of being deviated into electromagnetism, we studied levity directly to show that it has been as ever-present in our surroundings as gravity. It has not been noticed as such on its own footing, leading “levity” or “anti-gravity” to occupy the domain of fringe research, “crackpot” science, or even science fiction. Some independent researchers like Dewey Larson and Miles Mathis have tackled the concept of levity in their individual ways, and have labelled it “outward scalar motion” and “photon charge field” respectively.
When studied using the methods of phenomenology, levity becomes an equal companion of gravity in the constitution of our perceptible world.In the past couple of centuries, science has been very active in projecting the workings of gravity on to the cosmos. Perhaps it is time to unravel the opposite: to observe and understand the workings of the light-filled cosmos in our own humble surroundings."
Electricity and Magnetism | Gopi Krishna Vijaya
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_88184d2278e54147bad3469260717d47.pdf
" ... electricity appears to be a one-dimensional property that is complemented by a two-dimensional behaviour of magnetism, with each retaining its distinct nature. This dimensional distinction of electricity and magnetism as compared to solid matter has not always been properly appreciated, and it is indeed hard to digest at first. For example, we are used to seeing the tension and a lumbering bulkiness as properties of the same three-dimensional object. However, with electricity and magnetism, we have processes which seem to have either tension or bulkiness, but not
both!
This “coming apart” of what one usually calls solid impenetrable dependable substance is the hallmark of dealing with electro-magnetic phenomena. And it is a bit unnerving to have to handle this reality, as we are not used to thinking in terms of a “one-dimensional world” or a “two dimensional world”, since we are closely wedded to the solid three-dimensional one. Nevertheless, these facts are indicated directly the phenomena themselves. Once again, if these essential facts are not recognized, and we are too attached to our solid little balls, then we end up instead with half-real-half-imaginary concepts such as tiny invisible “spinning” balls with zero radius (!) and a “very small” mass: the electron. This, of course, rivals the Cheshire Cat and its smile."
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_88184d2278e54147bad3469260717d47.pdf
" ... electricity appears to be a one-dimensional property that is complemented by a two-dimensional behaviour of magnetism, with each retaining its distinct nature. This dimensional distinction of electricity and magnetism as compared to solid matter has not always been properly appreciated, and it is indeed hard to digest at first. For example, we are used to seeing the tension and a lumbering bulkiness as properties of the same three-dimensional object. However, with electricity and magnetism, we have processes which seem to have either tension or bulkiness, but not
both!
This “coming apart” of what one usually calls solid impenetrable dependable substance is the hallmark of dealing with electro-magnetic phenomena. And it is a bit unnerving to have to handle this reality, as we are not used to thinking in terms of a “one-dimensional world” or a “two dimensional world”, since we are closely wedded to the solid three-dimensional one. Nevertheless, these facts are indicated directly the phenomena themselves. Once again, if these essential facts are not recognized, and we are too attached to our solid little balls, then we end up instead with half-real-half-imaginary concepts such as tiny invisible “spinning” balls with zero radius (!) and a “very small” mass: the electron. This, of course, rivals the Cheshire Cat and its smile."
The Elements in the Past, Present and Future | Gopi Krishna Vijaya
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_abbc8d0d24fa4116a8afb3c703954e5f.pdf
"Treating liquids and gases as a dispersed solid is not only conceptually cumbersome, it is also physically wrong. It introduces a corpuscular nature to physical reality which is not perceived at all. While one can imagine the flow of sand in an hour-glass to be similar to the flow of water in a stream, there is an essential difference between the two: continuity. Solids can be broken up as grains, but liquids are never “broken up”, but exist as continuous wholes. Two drops merge to form one drop, where the original two drops lose their distinctness. A liquid always maintains a surface, while a solid maintains its three-dimensional shape. There is hence a dimensional difference between solids and liquids, which is completely ignored in the marble-stack approach. Liquids and gases, once again, have a distinct dimensional difference. For instance, water seeps and penetrates in the direction of the center of the earth, but gases penetrate in all directions. The dimensions of space are exhausted with the three dimensional spreading of gas, and we now entire the dimension of time, where matter changes. So when it comes to Fire or warmth, it not only penetrates all matter but also transforms it. Hence, as Hegel rightly says: Fire is materialized time.
Some solids, as crystals and other regular forms, are still continuous while others such as dust and powder become discontinuous. The solid Earth therefore forms a boundary between continuity and discontinuity. The difference between continuous and discontinuous matter is described thus by Rudolf Steiner: “I can say that the very nature of the animate requires that I conceive of it continuistically, whereas the nature of the inanimate requires that I think of it atomistically.” (See Origins of Natural Science, Lecture 5) Animate or living nature requires a continuity of existence in time, without a break, and this continuity is hence an integral aspect of life itself. What this means is that in creating pictures where the classical
elements are made of discontinuous marble-particles, not only is the picture a false one, but it also empties the elements of their capacity to hold life.
When water, for instance, is looked at as hydrogen and oxygen, we are already looking with the “eyes of electricity”, since water is electrolyzed into specific volumes and weights of hydrogen and oxygen. When it is also seen as consisting of small ball-and-stick molecules, this brings us back to the “sand” picture of water, which removes the possibility of harmonizing with life. On the other hand, when the continuity of water is taken to be as essential an aspect of it as its electrolytic products, the water is capable of sustaining life. A view such as this, taken by a few researchers like Victor Schauberger and Theodor Schwenk, opens up the possibilities of handling water in a living fashion. It allows water to transmit life. Therefore, continuous solids (Earth) can potentially hold or carry life, water and other liquids (Water) can transmit life. This is the foundation for the sprouting of a seed."
Air and gases exist as infinitely stretchable entities, with no boundaries whatsoever. In solids and liquids, there is at least a termination of the shape, bound by many surfaces and at least one single flat surface respectively. In Air, even that discontinuity is removed, making it possible for Air to sustain life. Warmth or Fire goes one step further in its penetrability and transformativity, and it acts as something that can stimulate life. The picture of a hen brooding over an egg, or a seed buried in the warm ground, describes this process. A picture with discontinuous “photons” of infrared radiation is hence very different from the picture of continuous living warmth. To summarize:
Earth – holds life
Water – transmits life
Air – sustains life
Fire – stimulates life
https://www.gopivijaya.com/_files/ugd/01c972_abbc8d0d24fa4116a8afb3c703954e5f.pdf
"Treating liquids and gases as a dispersed solid is not only conceptually cumbersome, it is also physically wrong. It introduces a corpuscular nature to physical reality which is not perceived at all. While one can imagine the flow of sand in an hour-glass to be similar to the flow of water in a stream, there is an essential difference between the two: continuity. Solids can be broken up as grains, but liquids are never “broken up”, but exist as continuous wholes. Two drops merge to form one drop, where the original two drops lose their distinctness. A liquid always maintains a surface, while a solid maintains its three-dimensional shape. There is hence a dimensional difference between solids and liquids, which is completely ignored in the marble-stack approach. Liquids and gases, once again, have a distinct dimensional difference. For instance, water seeps and penetrates in the direction of the center of the earth, but gases penetrate in all directions. The dimensions of space are exhausted with the three dimensional spreading of gas, and we now entire the dimension of time, where matter changes. So when it comes to Fire or warmth, it not only penetrates all matter but also transforms it. Hence, as Hegel rightly says: Fire is materialized time.
Some solids, as crystals and other regular forms, are still continuous while others such as dust and powder become discontinuous. The solid Earth therefore forms a boundary between continuity and discontinuity. The difference between continuous and discontinuous matter is described thus by Rudolf Steiner: “I can say that the very nature of the animate requires that I conceive of it continuistically, whereas the nature of the inanimate requires that I think of it atomistically.” (See Origins of Natural Science, Lecture 5) Animate or living nature requires a continuity of existence in time, without a break, and this continuity is hence an integral aspect of life itself. What this means is that in creating pictures where the classical
elements are made of discontinuous marble-particles, not only is the picture a false one, but it also empties the elements of their capacity to hold life.
When water, for instance, is looked at as hydrogen and oxygen, we are already looking with the “eyes of electricity”, since water is electrolyzed into specific volumes and weights of hydrogen and oxygen. When it is also seen as consisting of small ball-and-stick molecules, this brings us back to the “sand” picture of water, which removes the possibility of harmonizing with life. On the other hand, when the continuity of water is taken to be as essential an aspect of it as its electrolytic products, the water is capable of sustaining life. A view such as this, taken by a few researchers like Victor Schauberger and Theodor Schwenk, opens up the possibilities of handling water in a living fashion. It allows water to transmit life. Therefore, continuous solids (Earth) can potentially hold or carry life, water and other liquids (Water) can transmit life. This is the foundation for the sprouting of a seed."
Air and gases exist as infinitely stretchable entities, with no boundaries whatsoever. In solids and liquids, there is at least a termination of the shape, bound by many surfaces and at least one single flat surface respectively. In Air, even that discontinuity is removed, making it possible for Air to sustain life. Warmth or Fire goes one step further in its penetrability and transformativity, and it acts as something that can stimulate life. The picture of a hen brooding over an egg, or a seed buried in the warm ground, describes this process. A picture with discontinuous “photons” of infrared radiation is hence very different from the picture of continuous living warmth. To summarize:
Earth – holds life
Water – transmits life
Air – sustains life
Fire – stimulates life