The word spirit and science are two words that are contrary with each other, as the amount of divisiveness the advocates of each can attest throughout the decades in human history. Spirit is an allusion about the soul, while science is something that one can make a hypothesis and conclusions out of after applying the different methodologies of human observation. But if we are going to make an attempt to make an integrated approach to these two fields of study, then one can draw out the term “Spiritual Science”.

Spiritual Science can be viewed as both a science and religion, or as an act of mediation – a philosophy. It is based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (27 February 1861 30 March 1925), a philosopher, social genius, and architect. He founded the movement of Anthroposopy, and postulated a belief system that integrates the material world to the spiritual world. This integration is focused on spiritual sustenance that an individual can achieve in interacting with the physical plane through the gaining of wisdom and knowledge, with the conscious effort of being an advocate of love, humanism and the general well being of mankind. In this approach, one can reach the state of being divine, and be in harmony with the entity of God. In Rudolf’s early work on Anthroposophy, he penned the terms “Philosophy of Freedom”, which relates to man’s freedom to create his own view about mankind and the universe in light of his own unique belief systems that resulted from independent thought and interactions with the outside world.

It’s inevitable that we encounter the word ‘God’ in this discourse, and that is contradicting since it’s impossible to find a connection between Science and the idea of an all-encompassing Creator. Creationism is in direct conflict with Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory (I’ll leave you to decide for yourself whether it’s still a theory), making the debate far from coming into a conclusion. In contrast, Spiritual Science is not adamant in regards to the teachings of different religions.

Rather than contradict religion, it utilizes the universal wisdom and knowledge that one can attain in its study. Spiritual Science couldn’t care less about the pervading conflict between the two, because even though it places emphasis on the importance of observation and critical thinking, it still accepts the notion of mystery and phenomena that current scientific processes are unable to explain.

One of the compelling facts of Spiritual Science is that it utilizes many schools of thought that have a foothold on both spiritual and scientific discourse, and the combination thereof, such as metaphysics, chemistry, the social sciences, arts, literature and many others. Its practicality in the ever-changing world and emphasis on progress to a multitude of human endeavors, make it all the more beneficial to humankind. It prevents divisiveness between several demographics because of its universal stance on every facet of all human concerns.

Even if the original organizations that advocate Anthroposophy have dissipated or sunk beneath social awareness, the teachings of Spiritual Science still permeate human consciousness, and are very much applied as a consequence of the changing times and mankind’s natural instinct to rise above himself and make the world a better place for everyone.